Today It's Okay To Be Not Okay
by Nutmeg596
Summary: Olivia DeAngelo is a hunter with a dark past which nobody knows much about. When she joins the Winchesters, can they help her come to terms with the memories that haunt her? Or will she succumb to the despair she's been fighting for years? Begins with Bloody Mary and will continue through the whole series. Sam/OC/EventualCas
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay guys, as the summary said, this is going to be a Sam/OC/Cas love triangle, and it's going to be quite long. It starts out in S1E5, Bloody Mary, and will continue through most or all of the series. I have most of it planned out already, so updates should be pretty regular. **

**Disclaimer: All I own is my OC, Olivia. But, I'm pretty sure that, if you're here, you know enough to be able to tell what's mine and what isn't.**

_Vvvvvvvvvvvvv Vvvvvvvvvvvvv_

Dean Winchester groaned as he awoke to the sound of his phone buzzing. Glancing at the time, he swore to himself before reluctantly answering the unwanted phone call.

"'Lo," he grumbled into the mouthpiece.

"Dean?" A female voice responded, a playful lilt present. "Dean Winchester, is that you?"

"Yeah, who is this?" Dean barked impatiently, not in the mood for cheeriness at this ungodly hour. The voice laughed lightly.

"Aw, Dean, I'm hurt! I mean, I know it's been a couple of years, and that poltergeist was our main focus, but I really thought I'd made more of an impression!"

Dean perked up immediately. "Olivia?!" He could hear the amused, yet pleased grin in her voice as she answered.

"So you do remember me! Bravo! I'm honored!"

"Well of course I remember you! Uh...listen...not that I'm not thrilled to hear from you or anything, but um...any particular reason you're calling me out of the blue at 3:00 in the morning?"

"Oh dear, is it really that time? Sorry if I woke you. If you recall, I don't exactly have much of a sleeping schedule."

Dean smiled in spite of himself. "How could I forget? But really, what's up?"

"Well, are you on a case at the moment?"

"No, just finished a bit of an oddball actually. I'll have to tell you about it. Why? You got something?"

"Yeah, I've picked something up that seems promising. Thought it might be fun to have a little reunion. You still working with your old man?"

Dean winced. "Uh, no actually. I'm working with my little brother at the moment."

Olivia sounded surprised. "Little brother? As in, went-away-to-college little brother?"

"Yeah...bit of a long story. Anyway, where are you at?"

"Toledo, Ohio. I can email you the details if you want."

Dean opened Sam's laptop, searching for the town she was talking about. "That'd be great, Liv. Doesn't look like Toledo is too far from here. Seven or eight hours maybe."

"Sounds great! I'll see you this afternoon then?"

"It's a date," Dean smirked as she laughed and hung up.

"Who was that?" Sam asked tiredly from his bed. Dean jumped in surprise, not having realized his brother was awake. He frowned, but elected not to mention Sam's inability to sleep.

"An old friend, Olivia Walters. Dad and I worked a case with her a couple years back. You'll like her. Hot as heck, charming, and a mystery I never even came close to solving."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "So you know next to nothing about her. But you trust her?"

"I know she's a dang good hunter. And, yeah, I trust her. It's hard not to. When you meet her, you'll see what I mean. Even Dad took a liking to her, and you know how big of a deal that is."

Sam shrugged with a small snort and sat up, stretching. "Alright then. When are we leaving?"

"Soon as we're ready," Dean answered. "You can sleep a bit longer if you want."

"I'll be fine," Sam replied, shaking his head. "Let's get on the road."

Eight and a half hours later, Olivia Walters sat outside the morgue in Toledo, waiting for the Winchesters to arrive. A light breeze lifted her layered hair, sending a few blonde strands dancing in front of her face. At a solid height of 5'2", she wasn't exactly an intimidating sight, and her soft, delicate features created the picture of sweet innocence. The only thing that betrayed this well put together mask was her eyes, and this only on the rare occasion that she'd let her guard down. Shining pieces of the sky would darken, revealing glimpses of the sorrow of her past and of the dark secrets she kept buried deep inside her heart. Captivating crystals, which spoke compassion and love, would harden into hints of the unyielding nature of the skill set she'd come to rely on for survival. Peaceful pools of blue would become stormy oceans as the pain and emotions she fought so hard to keep at bay would finally become too much, rising to the surface and spilling in the form of the tears she was so ashamed of.

But that hadn't happened in a long time, and as those same eyes spotted the familiar face of Dean Winchester, the delight and excitement they conveyed was completely genuine. Olivia broke into a sprint, shouting his name joyfully as she neared him, and launched herself into his arms. He caught her with a surprised laugh and spun her around in a circle, grinning as she placed a sloppy kiss on his cheek before he set her back on her feet.

"Hey, Short Stuff!" He chuckled, ruffling her hair a bit.

She grimaced and stuck her tongue out at him playfully at the nickname he'd given her upon their first meeting. She then turned to his companion, who practically towered over her, and smiled. "You must be Sam!"

He smiled and nodded, amused-if a little surprised-at their antics. "That'd be me! And you're Olivia?"

"Right! Other acceptable names include Liv, Livvy, or just about anything else you can think of. Some exceptions to this rule are Olive, Ollie, or any reference to my height or lack thereof," she added with a glare at Dean, who only grinned roguishly.

Sam laughed. "I'll try to remember that."

"Anyway!" Olivia began walking toward the morgue, the boys following closely behind. "Did you read the articles I sent you?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, sounds interesting. The body is here?"

"Yup." She lead them up a couple of flights of stairs. "I happen to know that the doctor is on his lunch break at the moment, so we'll just have to win over the attendant."

"Well, perfect! I got this." The elder Winchester strode into the room, followed by Sam and then Olivia, and approached the desk confidently. "Hey."

The attendant looked up at him. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, we're the uh, med students."

"Sorry?"

"Oh, Doctor Figlavitch didn't tell you?" He stuttered uncertainly over the doctor's name. "We talked to him on the phone. We're from Ohio State. He's supposed to show us the Shoemaker corpse. It's for our paper."

"Well, I'm sorry, he's at lunch." Olivia fought the urge to roll her eyes at his tone.

"Oh, well he said uh...oh well, you know, it doesn't matter. You don't mind showing us the body, do you?"

"Sorry, I can't," the man responded. "Doc'll be back in an hour. You can wait for him if you want."

"An hour?" Dean put on a conflicted look. "Ooh we've gotta be headed back to Columbus by then...Look man, this paper's, like, half our grade, so if you don't mind helping us out-"

"Look man. No."

Dean was starting to lose his cool, and Olivia decided to take matters into her own hands. Pushing in front of the two brothers, she leaned against the desk, allowing her button up shirt to open just enough to reveal a bit of cleavage. The man looked at her with wide eyes.

"Listen...I know that this is a bit unorthodox," she spoke in a flirtatious voice before sighing pitifully. "But we really need to see this corpse, and we've got classes tonight that we have to be back for. We-that is, _I_-would really, _really_ appreciate it if you could just make one teensy exception..." She batted her eyelashes at him and offered a sultry smile.

The poor man swallowed hard, eyes fixed on her chest. His voice cracked as he spoke. "Y-yeah sure. R-right this way."

He stood up clumsily and walked down the hall. Olivia pulled her shirt back over herself and, as soon as he was out of earshot, muttered, "Sleazeball."

Sam and Dean, who were already looking at her in amazement, choked with laughter as the three of them followed him to where the corpse was.

A half hour later, they were walking back down the stairs after viewing the body and the police report.

"A stroke? An aneurism? My eye!" Olivia shook her head. "The guy's eyes and brain melted!"

Sam shrugged. "I dunno. Could be some freak medical thing."

Both Dean and Olivia looked at him disbelievingly. "Is it ever just a freak medical thing?"

Sam sighed. "You're probably right. Should we go talk to the daughter then?"

Olivia raised her hand. "Yes, but can we go get some food first? I'm practically starving!"

Dean grinned and slung an arm around her neck. "I knew there was a reason I liked you. Let's get some pie!"

**A/N: And there you have it folks! Chapter one! Sorry, not exactly a lot of romance in this one, but I promise the drama is coming! I won't be covering every single episode. Only ones that are relevant. And the ones that I do cover probably won't be in much detail after this one, as I'm assuming everyone reading this has seen the show and doesn't need to read all of the dialogue that is in the script. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and let me know if you have any suggestions!**


	2. Chapter 2

Olivia sat back in her chair at the hotel, rubbing her eyes in frustration and fatigue. Sam had fallen asleep a few hours ago, and she hadn't at all questioned Dean's decision to let him get some rest. She had no idea what was going on with him, but she had seen the weariness in the younger Winchester's eyes and sensed that something was very wrong. She didn't pry, however, considering she had her own issues that she had never, and, if she had any say in it, _would _never tell anyone about. She only hoped that Sam would be okay. She was fond of him, even after the one day she'd known him.

Dean, who was sitting in the chair across from her, looked up when he heard her sigh. "Anything?" he asked.

She shook her head with a groan. "Nothing! We've been at this all night! All night! How can there be nothing?!" It was true. They'd been researching ever since they'd gotten back from the Shoemaker house. Apparently the man had died right after his daughter and her friends had played Bloody Mary in the bathroom. Now, that being their only lead, they were searching for anyone by the name of Mary who had died in front of a mirror in or around Toledo. And, so far, nothing matched.

Dean was about to reply when Sam suddenly started awake, gasping for breath. They looked up at him and watched until he caught his breath.

"Why'd you let me sleep?" He asked them.

"Cause I'm an awesome brother." Dean answered. "So what did you dream about?"

"Lollipops and candy canes." Sam deadpanned. "So did you guys find anything?"

Olivia piped up. "Ooh! I found out there's someone who lives here whose name is Mary Virgin!"

Dean started laughing. "Oh yeah! Ha! Imagine roll call the first day of school! 'Virgin, Mary?'" Both he and Olivia cracked up until tears threatened to spill out of their eyes. Sam chuckled a bit at first, but by the time they calmed down he was just staring at them with raised eyebrows. They cleared their throats sheepishly, both thinking that maybe they could use a little sleep, and Dean finally answered Sam's question.

"But she's not dead so...basically we've just found a whole new level of frustration."

Sam sighed and collapsed back onto the bed. "Maybe we just haven't found it yet."

Olivia slid out of her chair and curled up into a ball on the floor. "We've looked at everything though! I'm just not sure we're even on the right track here!" The two boys looked at her a bit oddly. Sensing their eyes on her, she waved a dismissive hand. "Don't judge me, I'm tired!"

Just then, Sam's phone began ringing. "Hello?" He spoke into it. Dean watched as he listened, a bit of a panicked look forming on his face. "Charlie. Charlie calm down. It's gonna be okay. Yeah, we'll be at the park in fifteen minutes." He hung up.

"Donna Shoemaker's friend, Charlie?" Dean asked.

Sam nodded, standing up. "We've gotta go." He looked down at Olivia, who was still on the floor. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing had become steady. "Maybe we should let her sleep awhile?"

Dean nodded. "Probably a good idea. There's a good chance she hasn't slept in at least 48 hours. We can take care of Charlie and find out what we can while she gets some shuteye."

With that, Sam bent down and carefully lifted the small girl into his arms. She sighed and mumbled in her sleep, turning her head to bury her face in his neck. He smiled slightly and placed her gently on the bed, pulling the covers over her tiny frame. Looking at Dean, he chucked softly. "She's quite the character, isn't she?"

Dean laughed, not voicing his thoughts that Olivia might be able to do his brother a lot of good, and nodded. "That's one way to put it. You can't help but love her though."

Sam hummed in agreement. "Anyway, let's go find out about Charlie."

* * *

_The swing squeaked slightly as twelve-year-old Olivia slowly pushed herself back and forth, watching a chipmunk scurry around the field in front of her. It was a beautiful autumn day, and red and gold leaves swirled around her feet in the warm breeze. After weeks of nonstop training and lessons, she'd finally been given a rare day off. The funny thing was, she couldn't think of a thing to do to occupy this time, other than sitting outside and enjoying the sun. She couldn't remember what she used to do for fun, and, anyway, after four years, those things probably wouldn't interest her much anymore. So, she opted to sit quietly and relax, alone-for once-with her own thoughts._

_"Olivia DeAngelo," an all-too-familiar voice taunted behind her. "The government's little prodigy. What a pathetic sight! What would they say if they saw you slacking off like this?"_

_Olivia closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "What do you want, Abigail?"_

_"Honestly? I'd really like to know what it is all the adults see in you." Olivia could hear her coming closer, but still she refused to turn around. "I mean, you put on a good show and all, but I can see you for what you really are. A lying, pitiful loser who'd do anything for a bit of attention. Well, you've got mine."_

_Olivia felt herself being shoved forward, her face coming in contact with the dirt in front of her. Abigail laughed cruelly and grabbed a fistful of her hair, yanking her head up to look at her. "I mean, really. If you were all you were cracked up to be, you could do something about this, couldn't you?"_

_Abigail's mocking eyes changed then, becoming the beautiful, but terrified brown eyes of Alex Price as he scrambled away from fourteen-year-old Olivia. "What happened?! What did you just do to me?!"_

_Olivia stared at her hands, equally shocked. "I-I don't-I don't know! I never-"_

_"You're a freak, you know that?! A total freak! You'd better stay away from me, or I'll have you carted away!"_

_"Alex, wait! Please!" she sobbed, but he ran out the door, leaving Olivia with the first scars of a broken heart._

_"Livvy?"_

_Olivia turned slowly to see her little sister, Katie, watching her with wide eyes. "K-Kitty?"_

_"Livvy, why did you let us die? You promised! You promised you would never let anything bad happen to me!"_

_"Kitty, I didn't...I never meant for any of this to happen!" It was then that she noticed the blood oozing through Katie's shirt. "K-Kate...Kate please! No!"_

_"You should've saved us, Livvy." Her sister whispered before toppling to the floor next to the bodies of their parents and baby brother."_

_Olivia felt anguished screams tear themselves from her throat as she forced herself to turn and run out of the burning house, leaving the bodies of everyone who had ever loved her to be swallowed by the flames._

Olivia sat bolt upright, sweat and tears pouring down her face. Taking in deep gulps of air, she stood up shakily and walked into the bathroom, splashing cold water onto her face. No matter how many times she was haunted by these nightmares, their effect on her never lessened.

After taking a couple of minutes to calm her racing heart and stop the sobs and shudders which wracked her body, she took in her surroundings, brow furrowing in confusion. Where were Sam and Dean? Reaching for her phone, she quickly called the latter.

"Liv? You finally awake?"

"Yeah, I'm up," she croaked, trying and failing to keep any signs of her current state out of her voice.

"Whoa, you sound terrible. You okay?"

"Oh yeah, I'm fine. Just trying to wake up a bit more. Where are you guys?"

"Uh, Fort Wayne, Indiana."

Olivia deflated, if possible, even more. "Oh. I see. You pick up another case?"

"Oh, no we're headed back to you right now! It's about an hour and a half away. We got a lead on Mary and had to follow it, and you needed some rest!"

"Oh! What did you find out?"

"She's Mary Worthington, an unsolved murder case. She's after people who have secrets where someone died. Donna and Charlie's friend, Jill, was found dead this morning after saying Bloody Mary in the mirror. Same thing as Mr. Shoemaker, who, it turns out, probably killed his wife. Jill was involved in a hit and run where a boy was killed."

"Oh man...so then...why Toledo?"

"Well, Sammy just got off the phone with Mary's brother. Turns out the mirror she died in front of was just sold to someone there. We've got the address. Hang on. Sammy?"

Olivia heard the two brothers conversing on the other end of the line, both of their voices sounding concerned, though she couldn't make out what they were saying. Then Dean came back on.

"Hey Liv? Sam just got off the phone with Charlie. Mary is after her, it sounds like. We should be back in about 20 minutes. Can you go pick her up?"

She quickly agreed and wrote down the address Dean gave her before hanging up and hurrying out of the motel room. When she pulled up, Charlie was sitting on the curb, face buried in her sleeves. Olivia jumped out of the car and walked around, putting an arm around the terrified girl's shoulders.

"Hey, Charlie? It's gonna be okay, alright? I just need you to come with me, and I'll take you to where the guys and I are staying. We'll take care of you, don't worry." With a bit more coaxing, she was able to convince the girl to let her help her into the car. They arrived back at the motel at the same time as Sam and Dean. After leading Charlie into the room, they set to work covering up anything that might have a reflection.

Olivia turned around after draping a sheet over the TV and couldn't hold back a small smile at the sight of Sam speaking gently to Charlie, reassuring her that they were going to take care of everything, and she was going to be just fine. _'Gosh, he is a real sweetheart, isn't he?' _she thought to herself. _'That's exactly the kind of guy I would want to settle down with, if there was even the slightest chance of me ever doing that.' _She jumped slightly at the sound of Dean clearing his throat next to her. Even though her thoughts had been completely meaningless, she couldn't help but blush sheepishly at the fact that he had caught her staring at his brother and at the knowing look he was giving her. But this was far from the time for such foolishness. Dean seemed to be having the same thought as he sat down and asked Charlie what had happened to set Mary after her.

"I had this boyfriend," she said tearfully after a moment of hesitation. "I loved him. But he kind of scared me too, you know? And one night, at his house, we got in this fight. Then I broke up with him, and he got upset, and he said he needed me and he loved me, and he said 'Charlie, if you walk out that door right now, I'm gonna kill myself.' And you know what I said? I said 'Go ahead.' And I left. How could I say that? How could I leave him like that? I just...I didn't believe him, you know? I should have."

Olivia frowned sadly, knowing what it was like to feel responsible for the death of someone you love. "Charlie," she spoke softly. "It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known. And it wasn't fair of him to put this on your shoulders."

"Yeah, well it doesn't matter anyway. I'm going to die, aren't I?"

Sam shook his head. "No. Not if we have anything to say about it. Which we kind of do. Just sit tight here, and we're gonna take care of it. We promise."

* * *

Olivia sat in the back of the Impala, thinking deeply as they drove through Toledo. "Guys? What if it's not enough to smash Mary's mirror? I mean, what if she has to be in that mirror for it to work?" The two brothers mulled over this thought for a moment. She took a deep breath, hoping they wouldn't ask too many questions. "I was thinking, and I think I could-"

"I'll summon her." Sam cut her off. "She'll come when I say it."

Dean tensed up in the driver's seat. "Alright, you know what? That's it." He pulled over to the side of the road and turned to stare at Sam in frustration. "This is about Jessica, isn't it? You think that's your dirty little secret? That you killed her somehow? Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares and calling her name out in the middle of the night—it's gonna kill you. Now listen to me—It wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the thing that killed her. Or heck, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place."

Olivia stared at the two of them with wide eyes, fitting the pieces together as Sam shook his head. "I don't blame you."

"Well you shouldn't blame yourself, because there's nothing you could've done." Dean answered fiercely.

"I could've warned her."

"About what? You didn't know what was gonna happen! And besides, all of this isn't a secret. I mean, I know all about it. It's not gonna work with Mary anyway."

"No you don't. I haven't told you everything."

"What are you talking about?"

Sam smiled wryly. "Well it wouldn't really be a secret if I told you, would it?"

Olivia sat back uncomfortably, feeling like she was intruding on something deeply personal, but there wasn't much she could do to tune out the conversation as Sam finally convinced a reluctant Dean to let him try and summon Mary. They rode on in silence until they reached the shop where the mirror had apparently been sold. It took a minute, but Sam picked the lock, and they managed to find the correct mirror.

"That's it," Dean sighed as they all looked at it. "You sure about this?"

Sam took a deep breath. "Bloody Mary. Bloody Mary." He hesitated slightly and glanced at his two companions, who looked back at him uncertainly. "Bloody Mary."

Just then, Dean and Olivia noticed a pair of headlights pull up just outside the shop. Dean swore under his breath. "I'll go check that out." He looked at Olivia and gestured toward Sam. "You stay here with him. Make sure nothing happens to him." With that, he crept back outside.

Sam raised his crowbar as flashes of a figure appeared in different mirrors surrounding him. "Come on." he muttered. "Come into the right one."

He smashed several of the mirrors before looking at his reflection in Mary's oddly. Olivia watched in horrified fascination as his breathing became hard and he dropped the crowbar, clutching tightly at his chest. Then his reflection began to speak.

"It's your fault. You killed her. You killed Jessica."

"Sam..." Olivia started, eyes wide as she watched a trickle of blood fall from his eye.

"You never told her the truth-who you really were. But it's more than that, isn't it? Those nightmares you've been having of Jessica dying, screaming, burning-You had them for days before she died. Didn't you!? You were so desperate to ignore them, to believe they were just dreams. How could you ignore them like that? How could you leave her alone to die!? You dreamt it would happen!" Sam collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, blood rolling from his eyes and down his face.

"Sam!" Olivia screamed and ran toward him, facing the mirror herself. "Leave him alone!"

Her own reflection took on a mind of its own. "And you! You're a freak! And you knew it! But you still didn't save your family! Instead, you ran-leaving their bodies to burn-and saved yourself!" Olivia cried out in anguish, feeling warm liquid streaming down her face. But she deserved this, didn't she? After what had happened... "And all this after it was you who brought those monsters on them anyway! But it's really you who are the monster, isn't it?!"

She sank to her knees, crying in agony just as Dean sprinted up behind her and smashed the mirror. "Sammy! Liv!"

He bent down next to them as they both caught their breath. "Are you guys alright?"

Olivia laughed weakly. "What are you talking about? Never been better!"

Both brothers chuckled, though humor was absent from them. Dean helped them both up. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Suddenly the sound of crunching glass came from behind them. They slowly turned around to see the gaunt figure of Mary advancing toward them. All three of them fell to the ground, blood beginning to ooze from their eyes. But Dean, thinking fast, grabbed a mirror and faced it toward the specter.

"You killed them! All those people! You killed them!" they heard. Mary began to cry. To their shock, she suddenly melted, ceasing to be anything more than a puddle of blood. Dean chucked the mirror to the side, and it shattered.

It was silent. Olivia breathed heavily, staring with wide eyes at the spot where the spirit had stood only moments ago. It was Dean who spoke first.

"Well, guys...that's gotta be about 600 years of bad luck."

The other two laughed tiredly, but Olivia's chuckles soon turned to sobs. She fought to stop them, ashamed to let Sam and Dean see her so weak, but her attempts were futile. It had been a long time since she had really allowed herself to think about what had happened all those years ago. The brothers glanced at each other, and immediately they both wrapped her up in their arms, holding her gently as she struggled to once again gain control over her emotions.

After a few minutes, her tears had ceased for the most part, and she had reduced her cries to occasional hiccups. Sam and Dean stood up, pulling her with them, and Dean kissed the top of her head softly. "Come on, let's get you back to the motel."

* * *

Later that night, when she was sure her companions were asleep, Olivia stood up quietly and crept to Sam's side. With his eyes closed, it was difficult to see the sores from which they had bled earlier. Still, Olivia knew they were there, being able to feel her own. Carefully reaching out to place her hand softly on his cheek, she willed them to heal. Feeling the slightest bit of energy leave her, she knew that they had done so. She smiled to herself, satisfied with her handiwork, and stole back into bed next to Dean.

* * *

**A/N: So! We learned a bit more about Olivia's past! Of course, this might have raised more questions than it actually answered, but worry not! All will be revealed in time! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you think and if there is anything you would like to see from this story!**


	3. Chapter 3

Several weeks passed. Olivia had traveled with the Winchesters since the incident with Bloody Mary, and there seemed to be a sort of unspoken agreement that this change would be permanent. The trio complimented one another nicely, backing each other up on cases and managing to have fun together in between. The boys had kept their questions about Olivia to a minimum, for which she was grateful. As much as she cared for and trusted them, she still was not ready to discuss those issues with anyone.

They were currently on a case in Ankeny, Iowa, where a witness claimed that an invisible man had killed a boy by the name of Rich Skala. Sam and Dean had temporarily joined the frat house where the victim had resided before his death. Upon meeting their new roommates, they had discovered that the witness was the victim's girlfriend and that she lived in a sorority house a couple of miles away.

That was where Olivia was, staring around at the college girls she would be living with until they solved this case. To this virgin who had never cared much for partying, the lifestyle she was viewing was completely foreign and uncomfortable. She took a deep breath, hoping against hope that they would be able to figure this out and get out of there as soon as possible.

As she was thus brooding to herself wearily, she noticed a girl perhaps a year or two younger than herself looking almost as uninterested in the evening's activities as she was. Standing up, Olivia walked over casually and sat down next to the girl, who glanced at her with a polite smile.

"Not much into this scene?" Olivia asked. The girl shook her head. "Yeah, me either. The only reason I'm even here is because my brothers think I need to 'loosen up a bit.'" The girl laughed softly, and Olivia smiled, extending her hand. "I'm Olivia Winchester."

"Lori Sorenson," came the reply. "It's nice to have someone else around here who isn't exactly comfortable with all of this yet."

Olivia smiled at her before it clicked in her brain. "Wait...Lori Sorenson? Aren't you..."

"The crazy girl who talks about invisible men? Yeah, that'd be me." Lori sighed. "I just...I was so scared. I guess I just don't remember clearly."

Olivia looked at her sadly, deciding now wasn't the best time to ask about the night of the murder, and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry about your boyfriend. I've seen some awful things too...lost loved ones...it's devastating. And, the thing is, no one can ever come to fully understand what you're going through. It's different for everyone."

Lori smiled at her tearfully. "Thank you. It has been hard, but...I'm trying. To move on, you know. My dad is the reverend, so he's been helping a lot."

"Oh that's right! Yeah, my brothers and I were planning on coming to Mass tomorrow morning."

"That would be great! I'm sure my dad would love to have you, and everyone is always thrilled to see new faces. Anyway, it's been great talking to you, but I really need to be getting to bed. This party sure isn't doing anything for me."

Olivia chuckled slightly. "I should probably do the same. Thanks Lori. I'm glad I was able to make at least one friend today." With a quick goodnight, she got up to call Sam and Dean and let them know Mass was definitely a go.

* * *

The next morning, the boys pulled up, and Olivia climbed in the back seat. "Hey losers."

Sam turned and gave her a heartwarming smile. She felt her breath catch in her throat as she beamed back, transfixed. When he turned back around however, she frowned to herself in confusion. _'What in the world? I mean, sure he has a nice smile and pretty eyes, but...what?'_

Dean glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "So did you find anything out last night?

Olivia shook her head. "It wasn't a good time. At all. But, it will be easy to talk to her now that I've at least made her acquaintance."

He nodded then grimaced. "Yeah, too bad we have to go to church though."

She rolled her eyes with an amused smirk. "I'm sure you'll survive. If you can take on monsters and vengeful spirits, I think you can handle an hour of talk about God and hope."

Sam laughed as Dean shuddered. "I don't know, Liv. This really could be the end of me."

They pulled into the church parking lot and got out of the car. As they walked into the chapel, the door slammed behind them, and most of the heads in the congregation swiveled to look at them as they sat down. Olivia caught Lori's eye and gave her a small smile and wave. She returned them both, but then her eyes fell on Sam, and she froze, gaze fixed on him. Olivia frowned as Sam smiled at the girl uncertainly, and they both sat down next to Dean. Lori blushed and quickly turned to face the front again.

After the Mass, Olivia and the boys walked outside just in time to see Lori hugging her roommate, Taylor goodbye. Once she had left, they walked toward her, and Olivia put on a happy expression. "Hey, Lori! I loved the sermon. These are my brothers, by the way." She gestured toward each of them individually. "Sam and Dean."

Lori nodded. "I saw you inside."

Sam gave her a sympathetic look. "Hey, we don't want to bother you, but we heard about what happened, and..."

"We just wanted to say how sorry we are." Dean finished.

"I...kind of know what you're going through. I saw...well...I saw someone...get hurt once. It's not something you forget." Sam said sadly.

Lori nodded and was about to respond when the reverend appeared at her shoulder. She glanced at him. "Dad, this is Lori, Sam, and Dean. They're new students."

Dean reached out to shake the man's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, sir. I must say, that was an inspiring sermon."

Lori's father smiled. "Thank you very much. It's so nice to find young people who are open to the Lord's message."

Dean laughed a bit uncomfortably. "Listen, um, we're new in town." He placed a hand on Olivia's back and guided her with him as he led the reverend away. She followed reluctantly, casting one short, displeased glance behind her as Sam began a casual stroll with her new friend.

* * *

"I still can't believe we are dealing with the actual Hook Man here." Olivia shook her head, scanning over the police record she was searching. "I mean, is this for real?"

Sam's eyes widened next to her. "Looks like it! Check this out! 1862. A preacher named Jacob Karns was arrested for murder. Looks like he was so angry over the red light district in town that one night he killed 13 prostitutes. Uh, right here, 'some of the deceased were found in their bed, sheets soaked with blood. Others suspended upside down from the limbs of trees as a warning against sins of the flesh.'"

Dean leaned over his shoulder. "Get this, the murder weapon? Looks like the preacher lost his hand in an accident. Had it replaced with a silver hook."

Olivia read even further. "Oh my gosh you guys! Look where it all happened! 9 Mile Road!"

They looked around at each other for a moment. "Well," Dean grinned. "Looks like we've got our spirit!"

Sam stood up, gathering all their research. "Let's go check it out. Liv, Dean and I will go down to 9 Mile Road and see if we can't get ourselves a meeting with Old Mr. Karns here. Think you could do a bit more research? Find out where he was buried?"

Olivia nodded, taking the papers from him and grabbing her laptop. "I'm on it. Good luck guys. Please try your darnedest not to get yourselves killed in my absence. I've grown a little fond of you."

Dean winked at her suggestively. "Aw, Short Stuff! That's the closest you've ever come to admitting your feelings for me!"

She laughed, exasperated, and shoved him toward the door. "Bite me."

"I'm sure you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Sam chuckled and grabbed Dean's arm before Olivia could retort. "Come on man, we're on the job."

Olivia waved at them before sitting down and sorting through the records. "Alright, Mr. Karns, wherefore art thou?"

Three hours later, she had found it. With a deliberately quiet _whoop_, she pulled out her phone and dialed Dean's number.

"Yeah."

"I found it! Old North Cemetery. It's an unmarked grave, but, you know, we've dealt with more difficult things."

"That's great Liv! Uh...we might have to wait until tomorrow though."

Her brow furrowed. "Why is that?"

"Well...Sammy's kind of...in jail."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Sammy's _what?"_ she hissed. "What happened?!"

"Just a bit of a misunderstanding. I'll be able to get him out, but they won't let me talk to anyone until tomorrow."

"Oh well...that's just great! See what happens when I'm not around?!"

She could just imagine the eye roll on the other end. "Yeah, whatever. Try and get some sleep, alright?"

"Alright," she sighed. "Just try not to get into any more trouble, okay?"

"I'll do my best," he chuckled. "Night, Livvy."

* * *

"_AAAAAAAAAAEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHHH"_

Olivia jolted awake to the sound of a terrified scream coming from the room next to hers. Scrambling out of bed, she rushed to where a group of frantic girls were gathered, shrieking and sobbing.

"What happened?!" Someone cried.

"Someone call 911!" Another shouted.

Pushing her way through the mass of panic-stricken bodies, Olivia stumbled into the room, letting a gasp at the sight. Lori was cowering on her bed, staring in horror at Taylor, or rather, Taylor's body, which was covered in blood. Above her bed, written in blood, were the words "_Aren't you glad you didn't turn on the light?" _along with a symbol which Olivia didn't recognize. She gaped with wide eyes, slowly pulling out her phone.

"Dean?" Her voice shook slightly. "You got Sammy out yet? Good. I think you need to get over here. Like, now."

* * *

"You know..." a highly intoxicated young man slurred, reaching out and grabbing Olivia's hips. "I could show you...a real good time..."

She forced a polite smile, firmly removing his hands from her body. "Mmmmm tempting, but I'm just waiting for my brother to come down. Then I have to leave." She was with Sam and Dean at the frat house. Sam was upstairs trying to find something on why the Hook Man seemed so tied up with Lori. There was a huge party going on though, and, unfortunately for Olivia, that meant a whole lot of drunk, sweaty guys who were eager to bang anything with boobs.

"Aw come on, baby! We can make it a quick one."

Olivia was about to, once again, refuse his advances when she suddenly felt his hand on her backside, squeezing none too gently. With a shocked and affronted gasp, she raised her hand to slap him, but just then felt an arm around her shoulders.

"Take your disgusting hands off of the lady now." Sam spoke calmly, but his voice was dangerously low. The boy stared at him with wide eyes and put his hands up in surrender.

"Hey, man, I never meant..."

"Then leave." Sam glowered at him until he was out of sight and then turned to Olivia, concern filling his eyes. "Are you okay? He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

She couldn't stop the fond smile that worked its way across her face, though she rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "Sam, I'm fine. I can take care of myself. You know that."

He continued to look at her uncertainly until Dean suddenly appeared, clapping him on the shoulder. "Man, you've been holding out on me. This college thing is awesome!" He winked at a girl as she walked past them.

Sam spared Olivia one last glance before responding. "This wasn't really my experience. Anyway, I think I found something." He showed them both the piece of paper he was holding.

"1932. Clergyman arrested for murder. 1967. Seminarian held in hippie rampage." Dean read, not understanding the connection.

"There's a pattern here. In both cases, the suspect was a man of religion who openly preached against immorality. And then found himself wanted for killings he claimed were the work of an invisible force. Killings carried out-get this-with a sharp instrument."

"Okay...so...what's this got to do with Lori?"

" A man of religion? Who openly preaches against immorality? Except maybe this time, instead of saving the whole town, he's just trying to save his only daughter."

"Reverend Sorenson? You think he's summoning the spirit?"

"It's possible," Olivia interjected. "But what if he's not meaning to? Like, what if the spirit is just sort of...latching onto the reverend's emotions?"

Understanding dawned on Dean's face. "So he doesn't even realize it." Sam nodded. "Alright, well, either way, you should probably keep an eye on Lori tonight."

For some reason, Olivia found herself frowning at that, but Sam nodded readily. "What about you guys?"

Dean sent a longing look toward a girl who was eyeing him from the other side of the room before sighing reluctantly. "We're gonna go find Jacob Karns' unmarked grave."

* * *

Olivia and Dean wandered around the cemetery, shining flashlights on and squinting at all the headstones. They were growing concerned that they wouldn't be able to tell which unmarked grave was the one they were looking for when Dean suddenly let out an excited noise of discovery.

"Liv, I found it!" Sure enough, she looked to see a grave marker with the same symbol from Lori's wall. The two of them high-fived and promptly began digging. The only sound for the next hour was the sound of their breathing getting heavier and heavier as they continued.

"That's it, next time, I get to watch the cute girl's house," Dean muttered as they finished. They threw their shovels aside and wiped the sweat from their brows. Olivia ripped open the bag that they had brought, pulling out the salt, matches, and lighter fluid while Dean broke through the top of the coffin. "Hello, preacher."

Olivia grinned and poured salt and lighter fluid over the bones before handing the matches to Dean. "Care to do the honors?"

"Don't mind if I do," he responded, lighting one and tossing it over Karns' body. "Goodbye, preacher."

The two of them stood and watched as the corpse went up in flames. After a moment, Olivia glanced sidelong at Dean and tried to sound casual as she asked, "So...you think Sam really likes Lori?"

Dean shrugged. "I dunno. I think he would if it wasn't so soon after Jessica. Maybe he still does. It would be good for him though. Maybe try to move on. Why do you ask?"

She cleared her throat self-consciously. "No reason. Just making conversation."

He shot her a teasing grin. "You jealous?"

She did a good job of brushing off his comment, despite the fact that she was quite afraid he had hit the nail right on the head with it, and rolled her eyes with a laugh, bumping him with her shoulder. "Oh Darling, you know you're the only one for me!"

"Good!" He exclaimed, putting her in a headlock and ruffling her hair. She shrieked, laughing, and struggled to pull away. "And don't you forget it."

"Get off me, you ninny!"

"Ninny?!" He put a hand to his heart, looking wounded. "Why-I have never been so insulted in all my life!"

"Aw, I'm sorry, Babe." She gave him huge puppy dog eyes before standing on her toes and kissing his cheek. "What can I do to make it up to you?!"

"Well, I can think of a few things..." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Pervert." She giggled.

"Wha-I am insulted again! I was going to say to call me Batman from now on and make me pie! Get your mind out of the gutter, Liv! Who taught you such things?!"

"Hmmmm I wonder..." she gave him a pointed look, eyes shining with laughter.

And so the night wore on, both Olivia and Dean feeling more lighthearted than they had in a long time.

* * *

The next night, Sam was breaking into Lori's house and taking anything made of silver while Olivia and Dean did the same at the church. Burning the bones hadn't stopped the spirit, and he had attacked Lori's father the night before after she found out he was having an adulterous affair. Sam had saved the day, and the man only ended up with a few injuries, but now they figured that it was Lori Karns was latching onto, and he was tied to the hook, which hadn't been buried with him, but donated to the church after his death. There, it had been melted down and turned into something else, which was making the group's job all the more complicated.

Olivia and Dean sat in front of a fire in the church basement, throwing in all the silver they had found. They turned to see Sam walk in, carrying a bag.

"I got everything that even looked silver." He said, holding it up.

"Better safe than sorry," Dean agreed before adding it all to the fire. Just then, they heard footsteps upstairs.

"We gotta get outta here," Olivia ordered. "Come on!" They quickly grabbed all of their guns and other equipment and hurried back up. When they got there, however, it was discovered that it was only Lori, who was now sitting in one of the pews, crying softly. Dean grabbed Olivia's arm, pulling her back down to the basement with him while Sam went to talk to the distraught girl.

They were only downstairs for a few minutes when they heard running and screaming above them. Sparing the smallest of seconds to exchange a panicked glance, they grabbed their guns and bolted upstairs just in time to see the Hook Man catch Sam in the shoulder. Sam let out a cry of pain.

"Sammy!" Olivia screamed, taking aim and firing at the spirit. It vanished, and she rushed to Sam, who was crouched next to Lori. He suddenly tore a necklace off of her neck, tossing it in Dean's direction.

"It's silver!"

Dean nodded and dashed back downstairs.

"Sam, let me see your shoulder," Olivia commanded. Just then, a loud scraping sound could be heard getting closer from down the hall. Olivia slowly turned to see a large scratch forming on the wall. She raised her gun, aiming at where she thought the invisible man might be, but missed. Panicking slightly, she tried to quickly reload the gun, but the Hook Man suddenly appeared in front of her, knocking the rifle out of her hand and shoving her backwards onto Sam and Lori. The three of them stared in horror, stuck between the wall and the spirit.

Then, the Hook Man froze, and his hook began to melt, followed by the rest of his body. Dean burst upstairs, staring in relief when he saw they were all okay. That look quickly changed to one of concern when he noticed how badly Sam's shoulder was bleeding as well as how pale he was.

"Sammy?" He rushed forward and knelt down next to his brother. Olivia pushed him out of the way, forcing herself to swallow any fear she had over what her friend's reactions were going to be. She cared too much for this boy to let that bother her now.

"Sam, show me your shoulder. Now." She placed her hands over the wound, applying only a small amount of pressure, and focused her energy on healing him. When she was done, she sat back, and Sam and Dean looked at where the injury had been only moments before. Dean swore in surprise while Sam merely gaped at his shoulder before both of their heads shot up to stare at Olivia in disbelief and a bit of fear. Biting her lip to keep herself from crying, she simply stood up and walked away, unwilling to wait around and hear what they thought of her now.

* * *

**A/N: Well I hope you liked Chapter 3! Remember, reviews keep me motivated! ;)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Liv? Livvy?"

"Come on, Liv, you've gotta wake up!"

The voices sounded far away and only vaguely familiar. She heard her name several times, but couldn't understand what they were saying to her. All of her senses seemed dull, and, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't force her eyes to open.

"She's burning up."

"We need to get her out of this rain."

The faint sensation of being jostled a bit and then lifted into the air filled Olivia's mind, and she felt a small whimper escape her throat before everything once again went blank.

* * *

Olivia groaned softly and grimaced. She felt a large hand squeeze her own as she managed to open her eyes just a crack. Sam's face, filled with a mixture of concern and relief, swam into her vision. She blinked a few times to help her eyes adjust before taking in her surroundings. They were in a hotel room where Olivia was wrapped tightly in several blankets and lying on one of the beds. Sam was sitting on the edge of it, grasping her hand tightly. He reached out with his other hand and gently brushed a strand of hair out of her face. Olivia closed her eyes and swallowed hard, ignoring the pain that action caused her.

"What happened?" She croaked.

Sam's voice was soft as he answered. "After you did...whatever you did..." he paused uncomfortably, and Olivia inhaled sharply as her memory began flooding back to her. Sam cleared his throat and continued. "You just sort of...ran out. After the initial shock had worn off, we tried to go find you, but by that time the cops had gotten there and, of course, wanted to ask us some questions. When we were able to go after you, we found you in this alley, where I guess you went and sort of...well...passed out. It was raining pretty hard, and you were drenched. You had an awful fever. We brought you here and have been trying to take care of you...that was three days ago..."

Olivia's eyebrows shot up. "Three days?! I've been out for three days?!"

"Yeah...it's been really scary. You were delirious for a lot of it too...you kept mumbling and shouting things out...we couldn't really make sense of any of it though. We thought about taking you to the hospital, and we were going to if you didn't wake up tod-"

"No." Olivia interrupted him, slightly panicked. "Don't ever do that, understand? I don't care if I'm dying. You can't ever take me to the hospital." Sam stared at her, a million questions written in his eyes, but Olivia was quick to change the subject. "Where's Dean?"

He stared at her a second longer before accepting her refusal to talk about it with a reluctant sigh. "He left about an hour ago to get some more medicine. He should be back any minute." He took a deep breath. "You know, Liv...we are eventually going to have to talk about, you know, what happened."

Olivia looked away from him. "Yeah...I figured...and...I will tell you. Some things anyway. But just know that I'm not just going to spill my whole life story. And you may still have questions. But there are a lot of things that I'm just not willing to talk about. Not yet at least."

Sam nodded slowly. "I guess we can probably respect that."

She offered him a grateful smile. "Thanks Sammy. You're a real gem, you know that?"

His lips also turned up at the corners, and he gave her hand another gentle squeeze before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. Just then the door opened, and Dean trudged in carrying a couple of grocery bags. He looked exhausted.

"I found some. I also got some bubble bath. I thought she might like to just have a few relaxing days off when she does wake up, and you know how she likes her baths. Oh, and ice cream. I got some of that too. And some books and movies that I think she'll like."

Sam and Olivia were both silent as he put his various purchases away, completely oblivious to what he had missed when he'd been out. Olivia was touched at the effort to which he'd gone in order to help her feel better. He continued talking until he turned around. Then he froze.

"Liv!" He shouted after a second. "You're awake!"

She laughed weakly at his expression. Sam moved reluctantly out of the way as Dean dashed forward and enveloped the sick girl in his arms.

"Gosh, we were so worried! We really didn't know if you were ever going to wake up!" He kissed her cheek. "It's great to see those eyes again, Short Stuff."

Olivia rolled said eyes playfully and pinched his arm. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?"

Dean chuckled. "You can tell me all you want! Doesn't mean it's gonna change anything!"

Sam smiled and shook his head at them, crawling onto the bed on her other side. With a Winchester holding each of her hands, Olivia closed her eyes with a contented sigh. "I love you guys."

They both grinned happily at her. "Love you too, Liv."

Dean gently lifted her up and slid under her, setting her in his lap and wrapping his arms around her small frame. "So...sorry to bring this up, but...what happened back there? What did you do?"

Olivia sighed and snuggled into his chest, playing absently with his shirt collar. "Well...there's a lot that you guys don't know about me. I think you've always kind of known that." Both brothers nodded, encouraging her to continue. "I've always been...gifted. Ever since I was little. But, up until about six or seven years ago, it was all just kind of normal stuff: music, gymnastics, dance, martial arts, languages, etc. Then, when I was fourteen...well...there was this boy." Sam and Dean glanced at each other, but didn't say anything. "His name was Alex, and I really liked him, and he liked me. I'd never really had any interest in boys before then. I didn't have time for such silly things as dating. But, he was different. I don't know what it was. Anyway, one night, I had him over. We were just goofing off, and I was, you know trying to impress him..." She blushed, embarrassed. "I was showing him some of the stuff I could do...you know...flips, stunts, that sort of thing. He was, like I said, goofing off and trying to do the same things, but he lost his balance and fell down a flight of stairs. He hit his head super hard on the way down..." Olivia felt a lump rising in her throat as she told the story for the first time. "I don't know what came over me, or how I knew to do it, but I ran down, and he was bleeding like crazy, and I just reached out and touched his head, praying that he would be alright, and...I just felt this...power...and when I pulled my hand back, he was healed." Tears started to fall from her eyes. "He woke up and just sort of stared at me in shock for a second. Then he called me a freak and left. I was so tired. I couldn't figure out what had happened. All I knew was that I suddenly had no energy. I couldn't go after him. I've since figured out that, when I do it, I'm sort of...transferring some of my energy, or a part of my life force, to whoever it is I'm healing. So obviously there are limits to how much of it I can do within a certain period of time. I guess I must have reached that limit three days ago."

Sam, who was rubbing his hand up and down her lower leg comfortingly, furrowed his brow. "But, that head injury sounded a lot worse than my shoulder was. How come that was so exhausting for you?"

Olivia looked at them sheepishly. "Well...I wasn't exactly at full power at that point...I've been...well...helping you both to get over injuries faster. Not fast enough for you to notice anything strange, but...you know...faster. And I've been helping a bit with the pain..."

They both gawked at her. "That...actually explains a lot..." Dean shook his head. "You shouldn't do that though. Not if it takes so much out of you."

Olivia smiled at him. "No, it's a good thing. The more I practice, the stronger I get and the more I can do. I need to stay up to par in case something ever happens where I need to do something huge. I should probably be more careful about pushing my limits though."

Sam scoffed slightly. "You think? Anyway, do you have any idea where this came from or why you can do it?"

She shook her head. "Not a clue, and believe me, I've tried to figure it out. I've been searching the lore for years, and I've never come up with anything to explain it." She bit her lip and looked down at her lap. "Listen, I understand if you don't want anything to do with me anymore..."

"What are you talking about?! Of course we do! This doesn't change a thing about our relationship!" Dean cried vehemently.

Sam nodded in agreement. "This isn't a bad thing! At least, not as far as we know! I mean, how bad can healing people be?"

She looked up at them, eyes shining. "You guys really mean that?"

"Of course we do! You aren't going to be rid of us that easy!" Sam grinned at her playfully.

She started crying again, this time out of love and gratitude. Sam and Dean both looked at her, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Olivia shook her head, smiling through her tears. "Nothing! I just...I can't remember ever having friends before!"

They glanced at each other and both hugged her tightly. "We're always going to be here for you, Liv." Dean promised gruffly. "Don't ever forget that."

* * *

**A/N: Sorry, it's kind of a short one, but I felt like there really wasn't anywhere else to go at this point. Anyway, I hope my sensitive Sam and Dean aren't too OOC, and I hope that you liked seeing those sides of them. Please review and let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

_March 30th, 2006_

_On our way to Kansas, where the boys were born. Apparently, Sam has visions. We don't know exactly how or why, but I guess he had one last night about a woman living in their old house. The one that burned down when their mom was killed. Dean seems a little freaked out, which is understandable, of course, but what if Sam and I are connected somehow? I mean, we both have these weird powers, and neither of us are sure where they came from or why we have them. I don't know. I guess I just feel less alone this way. Is that selfish of me?_

Olivia leaned her head back against the wall behind the bed on which she was rereading entries in her journal. Sam was sleeping soundly next to her, and Dean was snoring softly on the other bed. It had been almost two weeks since she had written that entry. During that short amount of time, she and Sam had become incredibly close; even more so than they had been before. It wasn't that they talked about it often. They simply found a source of strength in one another's company. Unfortunately, this also meant that Olivia's confusion concerning her feelings toward the younger Winchester was growing every day. She knew that he still was not over Jessica's death and that there was no way that he would ever see her as anything more than a sister. But, she still could not deny the attraction she felt towards him or the fact that when she let her mind wander, her thoughts inevitably turned to him.

Of course, this growing relationship between Olivia and Sam had done nothing to lessen the bond shared by Olivia and Dean. The two had always gotten along famously, ever finding ways to laugh and cheer the other up. They never ever fought, and Dean was fiercely protective of his best friend. There was no question as to where either one of them stood with the other, and, for that, Olivia was grateful. Dean truly was the one constant in her whirlwind of emotions and her roller coaster of a life.

These musings were interrupted when Dean's cell phone began ringing on the nightstand. Sam stirred with a groan, not opening his eyes. "Dean." No answer. "Dean." Still no response from the older brother. With a slightly irritated sigh, Sam reached out and grabbed the phone, flipping it open. "Hello?" He suddenly sat up, eyes flying open. "Dad?" Olivia's eyes shot toward him as he continued talking. "Dad, are you hurt? We've been looking everywhere for you! We didn't know where you were or if you were okay...We're fine. Olivia Walters is here too. She's been with us for a couple of months now. Yeah she's great. Dad, where are you?"

At that, Dean sat up, eyes wide as he looked at his brother. "Is that Dad?"

Sam's face fell. "What? Why not?" A sudden look of comprehension dawned on his face as he listened. "You're after it, aren't you? The thing that killed Mom?" He paused. "A demon? You're sure?"

Olivia's heart began thudding in her chest. A demon? Could it be the same one? Dean was growing impatient. "A demon? What's he saying?"

Sam ignored his brothers question. "You know where it is? Let us help!" He frowned. "Why not?"

Dean reached a hand out. "Give me the phone."

Sam's voice was becoming more and more agitated. "Names? What names? Dad, talk to me! Tell me what's going on!" He listened for a second longer, growing frantic. "Look, no! Alright? No way!"

Dean, finally having had enough, grabbed the phone from his brother. "Dad? It's me. Where are you?" He was quiet for a moment. "Yes, sir. Yeah, I've got a pen."

Sam laid back on the bed, running a hand through his hair unhappily. Olivia gave him a sympathetic look and placed a hand on his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. He looked up at her, and she could see tears of frustration threatening to spill down his face. With a sigh, she laid down and rested her cheek against his shoulder, hugging his arm tightly.

Dean hung up the phone and turned to look at them. "Hurry and get packed up. Dad's got a case for us."

* * *

"Alright, so, the names Dad gave us, they're all couples?" Sam questioned. The three hunters were in the Impala, driving along the interstate toward Indiana. Sam was at the wheel.

Dean nodded. "Three different couples. All went missing."

Olivia frowned in the backseat. "But they're all from different states. So, what's the connection?"

"They all took a road trip cross-country. None of them arrived at their destinations, and none of them were ever heard from again."

Sam raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's a big country, Dean. They could've disappeared anywhere."

"Yeah, could've. But each one's route took them to the same part of Indiana. Always on the second week of April. One year after another after another."

Olivia glanced at the date on her phone and smiled slightly. "It is the second week of April. So, we're headed to Indiana to stop it before it happens again."

Dean nodded and spoke proudly. "Yahtzee. Can you imagine putting together a pattern like this? All the different obits Dad had to go through? The man's a master." At that, Sam suddenly pulled the car over to the side of the road. "What are you doing?" Dean questioned, eyebrows raised.

"We're not going to Indiana." The annoyance and determination were both clear in Sam's tone.

"We're not?"

"No. We're going to California. Dad called from a payphone. Sacramento area code." Olivia fought the urge to groan, knowing exactly where this conversation was headed.

Dean sighed. "Sam..." he started.

"Dean, if this demon killed Mom and Jess, and Dad's closing in, we've gotta be there. We've gotta help."

"Dad doesn't want our help."

"I don't care." Sam argued stubbornly.

"He's given us an order."

"I don't care." Sam repeated firmly. "We don't always have to do what he says."

Olivia decided to interject, hoping to reason with the boy before things got too heated. "Sammy, people are going to die. Your dad asked us to work this case so that we can save them. So that we can stop this from happening again."

Sam shook his head. "Alright, I understand, believe me, I do. But I'm talking one week here, guys. To get answers. To get revenge."

"Look man, I know how you feel." Dean tried.

Olivia nodded in agreement. "As do I."

Sam whirled on them, tone icy. "Do you?" They both stared at him, taken aback. "Dean, how old were you when Mom died? Four? Jess died six months ago. Olivia, please. So, your fourteen year old crush decided you were too much of a freak for him. So what? Get over it!" Olivia felt all the air rush out of her lungs as her chest squeezed painfully at his ignorant, unfeeling sneer. "That's not even in the same ballpark as what I've been through. How can either of you claim to have any idea how I feel?"

"Dad said it wasn't safe. For any of us. I mean, he obviously knows something that we don't, so if he says to stay away, we stay away." It was obvious from the tremor in Dean's voice that he was choosing his words carefully, fighting to remain in control of his emotions.

"I don't understand the blind faith you have in the man! I mean, it's like you don't even question him!"

"Yeah, it's called being a good son!" Dean finally lost his cool as both of them got out of the car angrily. "You're a selfish bastard, you know that? You just do whatever you want. Don't care what anybody thinks." Olivia slowly climbed out of the car after them, still stung by Sam's remarks.

"Is that really what you think?" Sam responded, continuing to unload his things from the trunk.

"Yeah. It is."

He slammed the trunk shut. "Well, then this selfish bastard is going to California."

There was a moment of shocked silence before Dean spoke. "Come on, you're not serious."

Sam, already walking away, called over his shoulder, "I am serious."

"It's the middle of the night! Hey I'm taking off! I will leave you behind, you hear me?"

Sam stopped walking and turned to face them again. "That's what I want you to do."

"Sam..." Olivia tried one last time, voice pleading, but he cut her off.

"Leave it, Olivia. This doesn't even concern you." She swallowed hard and looked at the ground as Dean glared at his brother furiously.

"Goodbye, Sam." He said curtly. Gently placing a hand on the small of Olivia's back, he guided her to the passenger seat, helping her into it before walking around to the driver's side. Slamming the door shut, he pulled away, Sam's retreating form disappearing in the distance.

The car ride was silent for several minutes. Dean kept shooting furtive glances at Olivia, who was staring out the window at the passing scenery, face blank. He seemed to be debating on what to say to her, if anything at all. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"Sam didn't mean what he said, you know." Olivia turned her head to look at him. "He was just trying to justify himself. We both know you've been through stuff we don't know anything about. And he knows that this does concern you. I think he was just afraid that if he let you say anything to him, he wouldn't be able to keep himself from changing his mind."

Olivia offered him a grateful smile. Small of a gesture as it was, his words did help to comfort her. "Well, I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time, you know. Do you know how hard I've been trying to get you alone?" She joked weakly.

Dean looked at her, eyes gleaming wildly as he made to pull over again. The slight upward curve of his lips was the only thing that betrayed the laughter he was fighting. "Fantastic! Wild sex in the backseat! Just what I need!"

Olivia lost it at that, howling with laughter as the two of them continued to flirt and banter the rest of the way to Indiana, forcing the thought of their missing companion to the back of their minds.

* * *

"Hi, we need to book a room. Just for tonight."

They were at the front desk of a hotel in Burkitsville, Indiana. Dean had an arm wrapped around Olivia's waist, and she leaned into his side, hand clutching his shirt on the opposite side of his waist. The woman at the counter looked at them, smiling widely.

"Great! What's the name?"

"John Bonham." Dean responded.

The lady typed something into the computer. "Perfect! And who is this beautiful girl you've got yourself?"

Dean and Olivia looked at each other with wide ooey-gooey eyes. "This is my lovely, amazing wife, Sarah."

The woman clapped her hands delightedly. "Well, aren't you two just the most adorable couple? I'm Martha, by the way. If you don't mind my asking, what are you doing around these parts? We don't get many visitors."

Olivia pulled out the flyers displaying the last two missing persons. "We're actually looking for some friends of ours. They passed through this area about a year ago on a road trip. Nobody has heard from them since they left. We've just been taking the same route asking if anyone on the way remembers seeing them."

Martha took the papers, looking over them appraisingly. "I wish I could say that I recognized them, but I haven't seen these people before in my life! Like I said, we don't get many visitors. You might try asking around tomorrow though. Old Mister Jorgeson would be the one to go to. He owns the gas station, so he sees most folks who pass through. You should be able to see him around five tomorrow evening."

Dean took the papers back, giving her a smile. "We appreciate your help. Anyway, we've had a long day. If it's okay with you, I think we'd like to get some sleep."

Martha beamed at the two of them. "Oh sure thing!" She handed them a room key. "Room 116 should be just cozy for you!" They thanked her and headed down the hall to their room.

Olivia shook her head and plopped down on the bed, pulling out her laptop. "Everyone in this town is really, really friendly."

"Yeah...bit too friendly if you ask me..." Dean agreed, throwing himself onto his stomach next to her. "Any clue what could be going on around here?"

Olivia sighed. "Well, I was thinking vengeful spirit before we got here, but I can't find any strange deaths in the area. Also, the pattern doesn't seem quite like that. Every single year, exact same time, exact same circumstances? It's too consistent."

Dean nodded slowly. "So, what do we know of that preys on couples once annually?"

"My best guess would be some sort of Pagan god. I bet we're about to find out for sure though. Granted, of course, that this ruse works. Whatever is killing these people could be able to tell that you and I aren't actually a couple."

"Yeah, well, let's just hope that, even if it does know that, it won't be too picky."

She glanced at him and laughed softly, shaking her head. "What's wrong with us? 'Hopefully this monster will still come after us, even though we aren't actually together.'"

Dean smirked. "Just one of the many joys of the job."

"I guess so." Olivia continued scrolling through the different search results on her computer. "One thing's for sure though. There's something funky going on with this town. I think that once we do some more digging tomorrow and find out more about the people here, we'll be able to come up with something."

Dean nodded and reached up, closing her laptop. "Enough research for tonight then. Let's get some sleep. How long has it been since you slept anyway?"

"Couple days." Olivia answered nonchalantly, getting up and rummaging through Dean's bag and pulling out one of his shirts.

He frowned at her. "That really isn't healthy. I mean, I know lack of sleep just sort of comes with being a hunter, but really. You take it too far to the extreme."

Olivia silently pulled on his t-shirt before crawling into bed next to him. "I know." She answered softly. "But you know how my sleep is if I do too much of it."

Dean sighed and nodded, wrapping an arm around her. "Yeah, I know. I wish you'd tell us..." he paused and corrected himself. "Tell _me_ about your nightmares. Maybe it would help."

Olivia gave him a fond smile. "Maybe." She responded noncommittally. "And maybe I will tell you someday. But I think, for now, there are just some issues that I have to sort out on my own."

* * *

The next day was interesting, to say the least. As they walked around questioning people, they got offers to have their car fixed, Olivia's hair done, and the car filled for free. Dean was feeling very offended, since he kept the Impala in excellent condition and "didn't need no small town mechanic poking around in his baby." Olivia laughed at him as they enjoyed a delicious apple pie, (on the house) which did help to soothe his ill feelings.

They had learned that the couple from the previous year had, in fact, driven through Burkitsville. They had been sent toward the Interstate, so Olivia and Dean decided to head that way for a bit and check things out. The only thing that they'd found was an old, creepy looking scarecrow (or, "fugly," as Dean had called it.)

Now they were having dinner at Scotty's café. Again, it was on the house. How these people managed to make it in this economy, Olivia couldn't say. Dean was outside on the phone, and she was talking to Emily, Harley Jorgeson's niece.

"Everyone in this town is so nice! It's crazy!"

Emily laughed. "Yeah I don't know. It's the boonies, but I love it. It's like we're blessed or something. In all of the surrounding towns, people are losing everything. I guess everyone here is just so grateful that they want to share it with others."

Olivia's eyebrow twitched, but she managed to remain nonchalant. "Have you been out to the orchard?"

"Of course! Everyone has! It's kind of a big deal, what with the first tree and all."

Olivia tilted her head curiously. "The first tree?"

"Yeah," Emily nodded. "There's this apple tree out there. Supposedly, the pilgrims brought it over when they first settled here. I think the townsfolk sort of attribute the success we've enjoyed to that tree. It really is quite a sight. You'll have to make it over there. You'll know it as soon as you see it. It stands out like nothing else." Dean walked back in at that moment, and Emily glanced at him with a smile. "It looks like your husband is back. I'll leave you two to it then. It was great talking to you though!"

Dean sat down as Olivia began frantically typing more information into her laptop. "That was Sam." Dean informed her, referring to his phone call. She paused, then continued typing.

"Yeah?" She asked casually. "How is he?"

"Good. He asked about you. I think he feels bad about what he said."

She shrugged, still not looking up. "I'm over it. What else did he have to say?"

"Not much. Just that if we figure out which Pagan god it is, we can figure out how to kill it, which we already knew. That's about it." Neither of them noticed Scotty suddenly perk up at those words. Olivia let out a gasp.

"This is it! I found it!"

"Found what?" Dean moved to the other side of the table, looking over her shoulder and reading aloud. "'The Vanir were Norse gods of protection and prosperity, keeping the local settlements safe from harm. Some villages built effigies of the Vanir in their fields. Other villages practiced human sacrifice. One male, and one female.'" He pointed to the picture on the page. "Kind of looks like a scarecrow, huh?"

Olivia nodded. "Keep reading."

"'This particular Vanir's energy is sprung from the sacred tree?' So...you think...we burn the tree, we kill the god?"

"That's what I'm thinking. And I know just the tree."

A throat cleared behind them. They turned to see Scotty and the sheriff looking at them menacingly. Before either Olivia or Dean could get a word out, they'd both been hit across the head, and everything went black.

* * *

Dean and Olivia were each tied to a tree. The townsfolk were securing the knots, and Dean was struggling angrily.

"How many people have you killed, Sheriff? How much blood is on your hands?"

"We don't kill them." The sheriff responded gruffly. Olivia laughed harshly.

"Oh, no of course not. You just send them here so some god can possess a scarecrow and do the dirty work. And then you hide the cars and bury the clothes after."

She was ignored as they finished and backed away. "We really are sorry about this. But it simply has to be done." With that, they were gone, leaving Dean and Olivia to try to untie the ropes around their wrists. Their efforts were in vain, however, and they grew more and more desperate as the sun began to descend. Especially when a dark figure began to approach them.

"Dean." Olivia choked out, terrified. "Oh my gosh. Dean."

"Dean?"

They both froze at the sound of Sam's voice. Then, Dean let out a whoop of joy. "Sammy! I have never been so happy to see you in my entire life! I take back everything I ever said! Now, come on." Sam moved behind him and began untying the rope. "How did you even get here?"

Sam looked sheepish. "I uh...I stole a car."

Dean cackled delightedly as his brother finished and moved on to Olivia. Sam cleared his throat awkwardly, his fingers fumbling with her bonds. "Liv...about what happened the other day...I'm so sorry..."

Olivia, freed at last, turned and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Hey, just forget about it, okay? We're good. Anyway, we've got bigger issues to deal with right now. Watch out for the scarecrow. He could come alive any minute."

Sam's brow furrowed. "What scarecrow?"

Dean and Olivia's eyes widened, and they slowly turned to where the scarecrow used to be. Instead, there was only a post. "We've gotta go," Dean gulped. "Now!"

The three of them started running, looking for the apple tree about which Emily had told Olivia earlier. However, they soon found themselves surrounded by the citizens of Burkitsville.

"I'm sorry, but we can't let you do this." Harley told them. "Don't worry, it'll be over-" He was cut off as the scarecrow suddenly appeared behind him and thrust his sickle through the man's stomach. Olivia, along with Stacy, Harley's wife, let out a scream of shock just before Stacy was taken as well. The scarecrow dragged its latest victims into the night as the townspeople fled back to their homes is terror. Olivia, Sam, and Dean looked at each other, eyes wide.

"That happened." Was all Dean got out.

* * *

The next morning, the trio made their way back to the orchard and burned the first tree. The town was going to die, but at least there would be no more sacrificial murders. As they made their way back to the car to head out of town, Dean as the one to bring up the subject of Sam's plans.

"So, should we drop you off somewhere?" He asked his younger brother.

Sam shook his head with a small smile. "No, I think you're stuck with me."

Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What changed your mind?"

"I didn't. I still want to find Dad, but...I mean...Mom and Jess...they're dead. Nothing's gonna change that. But you guys. You're still here. And we're all we've got left. So, I figure, if we're gonna do anything, we should do it together."

Dean wiped a fake tear from his eye. "That was beautiful! Hold me!"

Sam laughed and shoved him away. "Get outta here! I saved both of your skins! You should be kissing up to me right now!"

Olivia rolled her eyes at him playfully. "Whatever! We had a plan! We totally would have gotten out without you!"

Sam tugged on one of the braids she had her hair done in. "Right. I forgot. Olivia doesn't need anyone's help. She's too cool for that." He winked at her.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "And don't forget it!"

The three of them shared a laugh, all happy to be together again and contentedly oblivious to what was in store for them.

* * *

**A/N: So, I changed that one up a bit! I hope it turned out alright! Review and let me know what you think or if you have any ideas/requests for where you'd like to see this story go!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! So I was going to do this whole episode in one chapter, but it's taking me forever to write it for some reason, so I ended up splitting it so that you could at least have something! Hopefully this one is a little more fun and lighthearted! Enjoy!**

* * *

_"Hey!" Dean shouted as they walked into their hotel room. A dark figure stood by the window. Of course, the three hunters were still on edge after their encounter with Sam's 'friend,' Meg and the daeva she'd been controlling. At the sight of the person in the room, they immediately prepared to take the offensive. However, when the man turned around, their expressions of determination quickly changed to ones of shock. "Dad?" Dean breathed._

_"Hey boys." John strode toward them, and he and Dean embraced for several long, emotional seconds. He then turned and shook Olivia's hand. "Olivia. Good to see you again. Thanks for taking care of my boys for me."_

_She gave him a small smile, glancing nervously at Sam, who stood by awkwardly, watching these exchanges without a word. John looked at him sadly. "Hi Sam."_

_"Hey Dad." Sam answered softly. They quickly explained what had transpired over the last few hours. John expressed his lack of surprise at the trap which had been laid for him, and confessed that his sons were, in fact, a weakness to him. After temporarily defeating the daeva, they had, much to Sam's dismay, parted ways once again._

Olivia was curled up in the backseat of the Impala, lost in thought and humming softly to herself. The past few months seemed like a complete blur. As she had continued to work with the Winchesters, the affection she felt for them had increased tenfold. She cared for each of them deeply and would do anything for them and vice versa.

Dean was at the wheel, also deep in thought, and Sam was slumped, mouth wide open, in the passenger seat. Olivia mentally frowned at the smile that worked its way onto her face at the sight. Gosh he was adorable. Yes, she had finally accepted the fact that what she felt for the younger Winchester was something far more than just friendship. That did not, however, mean that she had to like it. She was also careful to keep Dean from discovering this development. She could only imagine the unfortunate landslide of events that would trigger. However, despite having no knowledge of the fact that Olivia did indeed have feelings for his brother, Dean had taken to teasing the two of them a great deal. Neither of them knew that he was, in fact, trying to encourage a relationship between them in hopes that it would help both of them to heal from the past heartache they'd experienced. They just thought it was because of the incredibly close friendship that they shared. That being said, it had given Olivia quite the scare when he first brought it up. At least until she realized he was only joking.

Despite the fear that she felt regarding what these feelings, should they ever come to light, would do to her relationship with the boys, she couldn't deny that she was growing to love the many ways in which Sam's presence affected her. They had only made her uncomfortable at first, as she wasn't quite sure to make of them, but now she longed for the delightful shiver that would run down her spine whenever their hands touched, however briefly. She yearned for the fire that would ignite in her stomach when his arms would wrap around her, the skip of her heart when their eyes would lock, and the tug at the corners of her mouth when her name would roll off his tongue. Olivia DeAngelo was in far too deep, and she knew it. She hated it! But most of all, she loved it.

Sitting up, Olivia stretched her limbs, making little baby dinosaur noises as she did so. Dean glanced at her in the rearview mirror and grinned.

"Don't stop! I was enjoying your music!"

Olivia blushed sheepishly. "You could hear that?"

He laughed. "Yeah! I was almost falling asleep!"

She shook her head, grinning, and leaned over the back of the front seat, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "How far out are we?"

"Oh, three hours or so. Not too long." Olivia nodded silently, and Dean glanced at Sam, who was still zonked. A smirk grew on his face as he started feeling around the seat. Olivia watched him curiously until he pulled out a plastic spoon and placed it gently in Sam's gaping mouth. Pulling out his phone, he snapped a quick picture as she giggled.

"I'll send that to you," Dean winked at her. "Then you can stare at it lovingly when you think no one is watching." Olivia rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, slugging him in the shoulder. He laughed and reached forward, turning on the radio and singing along loudly in Sam's ear. The poor boy jolted awake in a panic, smacking the spoon out of his mouth and looking around wildly. Dean cackled delightedly, and Olivia covered her mouth delicately, fighting to stifle her own chortles. Sam glared at Dean and reached out to turn down the music.

"Ha ha. Very funny." He grumbled sarcastically.

His brother had the decency to attempt to look sheepish. "Hehe. Sorry. Not a lot of scenery here in East Texas. Kinda gotta make your own." Sam, however, was not appeased.

"Man, we're not kids anymore Dean! We're not going to start that crap up again!"

Olivia bit her lip, half amused and half grieved at how annoyed Sam was over the tiny joke. Dean raised his eyebrows. "Start what up?"

"That prank stuff! It's stupid, and it always escalates!" Olivia looked back and forth between them, interest piqued.

Dean chuckled. "Aw, what's the matter Sammy? Scared you're going to get a little Nair in your shampoo again, huh?" Olivia choked at that, attempting to cover it up with a cough when Sam shot her a look. It was clear he didn't buy it, however. He shook his head, a determined look on his face.

"Alright, just remember you started it."

"Ahaha bring it on, baldy!"

Sam glanced back at Olivia. "Don't think you're exempt either. That whole 'innocent bystander' act doesn't work on me." She tossed her hair confidently, giving him a smirk, and poked his cheek.

"Oh Sammy. You are going to wish you'd never brought me into this."

He turned his head and bit her finger lightly. She squealed and withdrew her hand with a start. He snickered. "Right, Liv. We'll see."

Dean let out an exaggerated groan. "Oh, just make out already! I'm begging you!" Both of them flushed, and Sam cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Right so anyway...where are we?"

"A few hours outside of Richardson Texas." Dean answered. "Why don't you give us a rundown again?"

Sam nodded and once again explained that there was a house in Richardson which was claimed to be haunted by a spirit who strung up girls in the basement. Apparently, some kids had gone there and found the body of a girl hanging by the rafters. However, by the time the cops arrived, the body had vanished. "The cops are just calling it a teenage prank."

Dean's brow furrowed. "Well, maybe the cops are right."

"Maybe," Sam shrugged. "But I read a couple of the kids firsthand accounts. They seemed pretty sincere."

Olivia frowned. "Where did you find those? If the cops aren't taking them seriously then they wouldn't keep a record of the kid's stories anywhere."

He looked out the window sheepishly. "Well...I knew we were gonna be passing through Texas, so...last night I surfed some local..." He hesitated, then hurriedly spat out, "paranormal websites. And...I found one."

Dean and Olivia both stared at him, exasperated. "And what's it called?" Dean questioned doubtfully.

Sam cleared his throat, embarrassed. "Uh...hellhoundslair. com."

Olivia sighed, holding back a smile. "Let me guess. Streaming live from Mom's basement?"

He laughed, staring down at his lap self-consciously. "Yeah...probably..."

Dean shook his head. "Most of those websites wouldn't know a ghost if it bit 'em in the persqueeter." Olivia giggled at his word choice.

"Look," Sam defended. "We let Dad take off. Which was a mistake, by the way. And now we don't know where he is, so, in the meantime, we've gotta find ourselves something to hunt. There's no harm checking this thing out."

"Alright," Dean relented with a sigh. "So where do we find these kids?"

* * *

By that evening, they'd learned that the only two things the witnesses could agree on concerning the incident were that a) there was, in fact, a dead girl in the house and b) that they'd found out about the place from Craig, the final witness, who was working at a music shop. That was where they headed next.

As they walked into the shop, the kid at the counter greeted them. "Fellas. Ma'am. Can you help you with anything?"

"Are you Craig Thurston?" Dean asked. The kid nodded.

"I am."

"We're reporters with the _Dallas Morning News. _I'm Dean. This is Sam and Olivia."

Craig beamed. "No way! Well I'm writer too! I write for my school's lit magazine!"

"Well, good for you Morrissey." Dean responded.

"Anyway, Craig," Olivia stepped forward to shake his hand. "We're doing an article on local hauntings and were wondering if you could tell us a little bit about your experience a couple of months ago."

"You mean the Hell House?" Craig asked.

Sam nodded. "That's the one."

The kid sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't think there was anything to the story..."

"Well, why don't you tell us the story?" Sam pushed.

"Well, supposedly back in the '30s this farmer, Mordachai Murdoch, used to live in this house with his six daughters. It was during the Depression, his crops were failing, he didn't have enough money to feed his own children. So I guess that's when he went off the deep end."

"How so?" Olivia questioned.

"Well, he figured it was best if his girls died quick, rather than starve to death. So he attacked them. They screamed, begged for him to stop, but he just strung 'em up, one after the other. And when he was all finished, he just turned around and hung himself. Now they say that his spirit is trapped in the house forever, stringing up any other girl that goes inside."

"Where did you hear all this?" Dean asked.

"My cousin Dana told me. I don't know where she heard it from. You've gotta realize, I...I didn't believe this for a second."

"But now you do." Sam confirmed.

"I don't know what to think, man. You guys, I'll tell you exactly what I told the police, ok? That girl was real. And she was dead. This was not a prank. I swear, I don't wanna go anywhere near that house ever again, ok?"

"Thanks," Dean nodded then looked at his two companions. "Well, I think we've got all we need. Should we head out?" They nodded. "Alright, thanks for your time, kid."

That night, Sam and Olivia were watching a movie in the motel room while Dean was in the shower. Olivia was wearing one of Sam's t-shirts, which honestly fit her like a nightgown. They were both leaning back against the headboard, and Olivia was resting her head on Sam's shoulder wearily.

"How are you?" She murmured softly. He glanced down at her.

"I'm just fine, how are you?"

She rolled her eyes and looked up at him. "You know what I mean. How have you been doing with everything?"

He sighed. "I'll be fine. I wish we had stuck with Dad, but I'm just trying to make the best of the situation we're in." Olivia smiled and closed her eyes contentedly. "What about you? How are things?"

She shrugged. "Same as usual, I guess. I mean, obviously you know the nightmares haven't stopped; I wake you up with them all the time. But it's been good for me to be with you guys. It's a good distraction, and it definitely helps that I'm not so lonely all the time."

Sam 'hmm'ed quietly and hesitated before speaking again. "Sometimes...when you have nightmares...you mention a Kitty...who is she?"

Olivia paused then responded carefully. "My sister."

Sam waited for further explanation but received none. He closed his eyes for a second and then shifted so that they could look at each other full on. "Olivia..."

Olivia swallowed hard as innocent blue eyes met intense hazel. Sam froze, and they stared at each other for a second before he reached out and hesitantly tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she leaned into his touch, allowing her eyes to flutter shut. When she opened them again, he was still gazing at her, searching her face, and she could have sworn he was closer than he had been before. Heart hammering in her chest, she leaned in closer to him as well. Just then, the bathroom door opened, and the two sprang apart, the blood rushing to both of their faces. Dean walked out whistling, a towel wrapped around his waist, but stopped when he saw them, grinning wickedly.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" He stared at them expectantly, waggling his eyebrows in delight. Olivia cleared her throat and stood up, keeping her eyes to the ground.

"Sam was just asking me some questions. The usual." She forced a convincing laugh. "He almost got me to break down and tell him there. You know, those puppy dog eyes. Luckily, you walked out just in time, so thanks for that. I'm just going to get in the shower now."

"Oh. Okay then." Dean sounded disappointed. Olivia brushed past him and locked the bathroom door behind her. As she let the hot water wash over her, she berated herself for being so foolish and almost giving away her feelings. There Sam was, just trying to be a good friend, and she had almost kissed him! She'd let her emotions override all logic, and it had almost cost her every ounce of dignity she had! Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself down. It was okay. Dean had unwittingly spared her that humiliation, and hopefully Sam hadn't even noticed. She would just play it off like it was nothing and act like normal, and everything would be fine!

With that reassuring thought in her mind, Olivia stepped out of the shower, dried off, and pulled Sam's shirt back on. After she was finished getting ready for bed, she walked out of the bathroom and crawled back into bed next to the object of her affections. He smiled at her as she kissed his cheek goodnight and burrowed under the covers. After he reached over and shut off the light, Olivia let out a small sigh of relief. Everything was going to continue like normal.

* * *

The next morning, the trio was making their way down the muddy path that led to the Hell House. Olivia trudged in her usual spot between the two Winchesters. Her feet slipped in the goop in which they were walking, and her hands shot out and grabbed each of the brother's arms to steady herself, successfully avoiding face planting in the mud. Sam shot her a grin.

"Do you need me to carry you?"

She pouted at him. "I am perfectly capable of walking on my own, thank you very much!"

"Are you sure?" He chuckled. "Because I'm questioning." She stuck her tongue out at him, and he suddenly lunged at her, picked her up effortlessly, and tossed her over his shoulder. She let out a shriek of indignation.

"Samuel Winchester! You put me down this very instant!"

He shifted her weight to a more comfortable position. "Or what?" The barely suppressed laughter was evident in his voice.

"Or! Or I'll..." She trailed off, unable to come up with an adequate threat, and quickly changed tactics. "Dean! Help!"

Said brother was only watching them in amusement. "Aw come on, Liv! Let him carry the bride over the threshold!"

Had her face not already been beet red from hanging upside down, it surely would have changed at that moment. She expected Sam to get all embarrassed as well, but he only guffawed loudly. She huffed and smacked him, accidentally managing to give him a good spanking. Her mouth dropped open in horror, and Sam halted in his tracks. He slowly pulled her upper body back over his shoulder so that he was carrying her princess style and stared at her with wide eyes. She stared back, mortified.

"Did you just...?" He trailed off.

"I'm so sorry!" She gasped. "I didn't mean to!"

Sam suddenly snorted, shaking with laughter. "Liv! I had no idea you were so into me!"

Olivia flushed in embarrassment as both Winchesters laughed at her expense. "Please put me down Sam." She mumbled. "You shouldn't waste any energy when we could be fighting a spirit in a few minutes here."

"Oh, please." Sam chortled. "You weigh, what? Like 90 pounds?" But he complied, ruffling her hair a little bit, and frowned when he saw the look on her face. "Aw, come on Liv. We're just goofing off a little bit!"

Dean slung an arm around her neck. "Yeah! I mean, it was obviously an accident! It's not like anyone would be too tempted to touch Sam's behind! Mine, on the other hand..." A smile broke onto Olivia's face at that, her humiliation fading. As they approached the Hell House, Sam let out a low whistle.

"Can't say I blame the kid."

"Yeah, so much for curb appeal." Dean agreed. They each started looking around the outside of the house when Dean's EMF detector started going off. He tapped it gently.

"You got something?" Olivia questioned. He shook his head.

"EMF's no good."

"Why not?" Sam frowned.

Dean gestured at the power lines above them. "I think that thing's still got a little juice in it. It's screwing with all the readings." The other two groaned, and they all headed inside, examining the various symbols on the walls.

"Looks like Old Man Murdock was a bit of a tagger in his day." Dean looked around with raised eyebrows.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, and after his time too. That reverse cross has been used by Satanists for centuries but this sigil of sulfur didn't show up in San Francisco until the '60s."

Dean stared at him. "That is why you never get laid." He then made his way over to a strange symbol. "You guys ever seen this one before?" They both shook their heads. "I have...somewhere..."

Sam walked over and rubbed the symbol with his thumb. "It's paint. Seems pretty fresh too."

"I don't know," Dean sighed. "I hate to agree with authority figures of any kind, but...the cops may be right about this one."

Just then, they heard a clattering noise in the next room. They all looked at each other and nodded, each taking their positions by the door. Dean gave the go, Sam threw the door open, and they all burst through. Sam let out a yell as a bright light shined in their eyes.

"Oh, cut! It's just a couple of humans!" The male voice sounded exasperated. "What are you guys doing here?"

As their eyes adjusted, Olivia and the Winchesters could see two guys, probably in their 30s, holding cameras and looking at them in annoyance.

"Well, what are you guys doing here?" Dean countered grumpily.

The other guy laughed condescendingly. "Ummm, we belong here? We're professionals?" Olivia suppressed a grin, realizing just what they were dealing with here.

"Professional what, exactly?" She questioned, humoring them.

"Paranormal investigators?" He handed them each a business card. "There you go. Take a look at that, kids."

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Dean groaned in disbelief.

"Ed Zeddmore and Harry Spangler? hellhoundslair. com. You guys run that website." Sam pieced together.

"Yeah." Ed nodded proudly.

"We're huge fans!" Olivia played along, stepping forward to shake their hands.

"Yeah, hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but we know who you guys are too." Olivia, Sam, and Dean, looked at him sharply.

"Oh yeah?" Dean asked doubtfully, moving forward to inspect their equipment.

"Amateurs. Looking for ghosts and cheap thrills." The three relaxed at that.

Harry spoke up. "Yeah, so, if you guys don't mind, we're trying to conduct a serious scientific investigation here."

Olivia exchanged a look with Sam, eyes dancing with laughter. Dean feigned interest. "Yeah, what have you guys got so far?"

Ed gave them a superior look. "Harry, why don't you tell them about EMF?"

"EMF?" Sam put on a confused look, sharing a grin with Olivia when their backs were turned. Harry grabbed a detector and brought it over to demonstrate.

"Electromagnetic field? Spectral entities can cause energy fluctuations that can be read with an EMF detector. Like this bad boy right here." He turned it on, and Dean smirked, knowing their readings were going to be faulty. "Whoa! It's at 2.8mg!"

Ed looked excited. "2.8?! It's hot in here!"

Dean let out a low whistle, Olivia shook her head in amazement, and Sam whispered a small "wow" of wonderment. Dean then spoke conspiratorially. "So, have you guys ever actually seen a ghost?"

Ed looked at them seriously. "Once." The three hunters raised their eyebrows, trying their hardest to look impressed. "We were...we were investigating this old house and we saw a vase fall right off the table..."

"By itself." Harry added as though they had discovered what had happened to Amelia Earhart.

"Well, we, we," Ed stuttered. "We didn't actually see it, we heard it. And something like that...it uh...it changes you.

"You know, I think I'm starting to get the picture." Dean looked at Sam and Olivia. "We should go, let them get back to work."

"Yeah, you should." Ed said rather nastily.

"Sam. Olivia." Dean nodded, and the three of them walked out, each holding back laughter at the encounter. However, Olivia lost it when she overheard Ed say to Harry:

"I'm sorry. That pot we smoked gave me the giggles."

Dean clapped a hand over her mouth until they made it outside, where all three of them proceeded to howl all the way back to the Impala.

* * *

**A/N: Any and all feedback is appreciated! I am also thinking of doing requests for oneshots about the reader and the SPN characters and actors. Let me know if you would be interested in that and if you have any requests!**


	7. Chapter 7

Olivia couldn't help the triumphant smile that came over her face as she stared at the EMF reader in her hands. Just like she thought. No readings whatsoever. She took one last glance at the Murdock House and the now empty power lines that surrounded it before pocketing the device and beginning the short jog back to the library where she was supposed to meet Sam and Dean.

She arrived just in time to see Sam exiting the library and Dean approaching from the opposite direction. The three of them came to stand around the Impala, and Olivia looked back and forth between the two brothers, eyebrows raised.

"Anything?" She questioned both of them.

Sam shook his head. "Well I couldn't find a Mordechai but I did find a Martin Murdock who lived in that house in the '30s. He did have children but only two of them, both boys, and there's no evidence he ever killed anyone."

Olivia nodded, unsurprised. "Dean?"

"Well those kids didn't really give us a clear description of that dead girl but I did hit up the police station." The older Winchester shrugged. "No matching missing persons. It's like she never existed."

Sam sighed. "What about you, Liv? Did you find anything?" His brow furrowed. "Where did you even go?"

Olivia leaned up against the side of the Impala with a sigh. "I went back to the Murdock House-"

Dean cut her off disbelievingly. "That's, like, two miles away. And I have the car keys."

"I ran," Olivia shrugged. "But, anyway-"

"Hold on," Sam interrupted again, staring at her with raised eyebrows. "You _ran?_ Two miles there and two miles back? You're not even out of breath! Or sweaty!"

Olivia gawked at them. "So? Guys! That's not the point!"

Dean shook his head. "Right. Yeah. Whatever. What did you find?"

Olivia's smile returned, and she held up the EMF reader. "So, I figured it would be helpful to know if there really was EMF, right? So, I went back and finished disabling those power lines so that they wouldn't interfere with the readings. And, get this! No EMF whatsoever!" She laughed. "This one is definitely...what?" The two boys were gaping at her.

"You..." Dean started.

"Finished disabling the power lines...?" Sam finished. "Between running two miles there and back. And not even breaking a sweat."

"Who _are_ you?!" Dean was gazing at her in wonderment.

Olivia looked up at the sky, exasperated. "I'm Olivia Walters. You are Sam and Dean Winchester. Great! Now, that we all know who each other are, can we officially call this case a bust? I'm ready to move on to bigger and better things!"

Dean shook his head. "Right. Yeah. Okay. But first, I say we find ourselves a bar and some beers and leave the legend to the locals." Olivia nodded, and the two of them climbed into the Impala. Dean turned the key in the ignition and immediately reared back as Olivia let out a squeak of surprise. Loud music had blasted through the speakers, giving them both a start. Dean reached up to turn the music off, but instead the windshield wipers started going.

"WHOA! What the..." he stared in confusion before quickly turning everything off. Sam then climbed into the passenger seat, laughing hard. He licked his finger, held it up, and pointed to himself smugly. Olivia smirked.

"That's all you got?"

Dean rolled his eyes, giving his brother a dirty look. "That's bush league." He shook his head in irritation before pulling away.

* * *

Loud laughter echoed throughout the bar as Olivia sat at the counter, wearily sipping a glass of water. Dean was several feet away, chatting up the bartender, and Sam was sitting at a table in the corner, looking for any promising new cases. Olivia sighed. Her nightmares had been getting worse, and she was having trouble focusing, so, after a few minutes of trying, and failing, to help Sam, she had given up and gotten up to get a drink. She wasn't a fan of alcohol in most cases, and only drank on rare occasions, which was why she sat quietly by herself with her water, absently glancing over the bar's other occupants.

"What's a pretty little thing like yourself doing here all alone?" A voice came from her right side. She jumped slightly and turned to see a handsome man gazing at her slyly. She laughed awkwardly, swallowing hard as she noticed that his eyes were just like Sam's.

"Oh, I'm just babysitting," she gestured toward where Dean was downing another shot and shooting the bartender a charming smile. "Making sure my brother doesn't get too carried away."

The man raised an eyebrow. "And he didn't even buy you a real drink?"

Olivia laughed and shrugged. "I don't really drink that often."

"Well, allow me to make tonight an exception," the man winked at her before waving down the bartender. She gave Dean a smile before holding up a finger to tell him she would be right back and walking over to them. Dean gave Olivia a curious look before shrugging and deciding it was good for her to have a little fun once in a while.

"What can I get for ya?" The bartended asked with a smile.

The man slid an arm around Olivia's shoulders. "Let's get this little lady a Scotch and Coke, yeah?"

"Comin' right up!" The girl turned back around as Olivia bit her lip a tad uncomfortably.

"I'm Paul, by the way," the man said, letting his hand drop until it came to rest on her lower back.

Olivia took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. After all, Paul seemed nice enough, and maybe she could use something to take her mind off of things. She smiled shyly at him. "I'm Olivia."

Paul grinned at her. "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl!" Olivia laughed and shook her head at the corny line, feeling her breath catch in her throat as she met his eyes again. The bartender set her drink in front of her, and Olivia started to drink, discovering she actually quite liked this Scotch and Coke concoction. "So, do you live around here?"

"No, we're actually headed out in the morning. We were just here for some work." Olivia smiled regretfully.

Paul sighed, his hand sliding to her hip as he shook his head sadly. "I don't suppose there's any way I could convince you to stay a bit longer?"

Olivia faintly registered the sound of sirens outside the building, but she ignored them, enjoying the feeling of someone seeming to want her. She tittered softly, eyes unconsciously flickering down to Paul's lips. "It's not me that you'd have trouble convincing." His thumb was gently stroking her waist through her shirt, making her shiver slightly.

He groaned. "Let me guess. Overprotective older brother?"

"Something like that," Olivia laughed. "More of they just don't like staying in one place too long. Makes them go a bit stir crazy."

Paul smiled. "Well, then I guess we had better make the most of tonight." Olivia swallowed hard and allowed her eyes to flutter shut as he leaned closer to her. She felt his lips brush the corner of her mouth before trailing slowly along her jaw and making their way down to her neck, making her gasp as he nipped and sucked softly at her skin. In the back of her mind, she knew she didn't really want this, but she could feel the alcohol she had consumed impairing her better judgment, and oh wow, it felt good. Her hands found their own way to the back of his neck, unconsciously pulling him closer to her as he finally brought his lips to meet hers.

"My house is just down the road from here," he mumbled against her mouth. His hands had begun to roam, and one had found its way down to grab her bottom, making her squeak, while the other had slipped under her shirt, massaging her skin and slowly making its way closer to her chest. Olivia's breathing grew labored, but she hesitated, unsure of what to do. Her heart definitely did not want this, but her body screamed at her not to stop it.

"Hey!" She was saved the trouble of responding as Sam's voice cut through her reverie. She jerked back and looked at him with wide, guilty eyes. He looked more livid than she had ever seen him. "Get your hands off of her, why don't you?"

Paul stared coolly back at the younger Winchester, giving Olivia's bum a squeeze. "No can do, sir. She's enjoying this just as much as I am, and who am I to leave a lady high and dry?"

Sam's eyes flashed, and he opened his mouth to retort when a hand came to rest on his shoulder. "What's going on here?" Dean surveyed the situation warily. Olivia frowned at Sam.

"I was just having a nice time with Paul here, when Sam decided to intrude on things that are none of his business."

Sam stared at her for a moment before he noticed the glass on the counter in front of her. He let out a groan. "Liv, have you been drinking?"

"So what if I have?" She retorted defensively, feeling suddenly very emotional.

Dean looked at Sam. "Yeah, she can drink if she wants to, Sammy. And she can make out with whoever she wants to."

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but Dean, you know she's a lightweight. She's obviously not thinking clearly! Our Olivia is never like this!"

"Um hello! Still here!" She waved a hand, irritated.

Dean sighed, unable to deny that Sam was right. "Alright, Liv. We know that you can handle yourself." Sam stared at him incredulously. "But those sirens are headed for the Murdock House, and we should probably go check it out." Paul stared at him, confused and more than a little annoyed with the turn his plans had taken.

Olivia felt her lip quiver as tears welled up in her eyes. "Okay. Let's go." She stood up shakily without a glance at Paul. Sam smirked a bit at this and bent down in front of her.

"Come on," he chuckled slightly. She was adorable when she was drunk. "I'll give you a piggy back ride to the car."

Though she was still a little annoyed with him, the inner child in Olivia won over, and she clambered onto his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and resting her cheek on the top of his head. "Alright. Onward!"

Dean saluted a very put-out Paul and followed the two of them outside, opening the back door of the Impala so Sam could gently set Olivia down in the backseat. She slid off of his back and sat against the other door, drawing her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them. The two brothers climbed into the front seat, and Dean started the car, pulling out of the parking lot. Olivia sniffed.

"All we ever do is work." The two boys glanced back at her but said nothing. She continued. "Don't you ever just want someone to love you?" She was being pathetic, and she knew it, but hey! She hardly ever got drunk. She didn't exactly have much experience with this whole thing.

Dean sighed. "Liv, you're drunk. And that Paul guy didn't love you and had no intention of ever doing so. And you do have someone who loves you. Two someones, in fact. Sam and I would do anything for you."

Olivia didn't say anything, even though that is not what she meant. She didn't feel well and wasn't in the mood to argue right now. Instead, she leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes, passing out almost instantly. Dean pulled up to the house, and the brothers looked back, shaking their heads in fond exasperation before climbing out of the car and approaching a man who was watching the police pull a body out on a stretcher.

"What happened?" Dean asked the man. He looked at them and shook his head.

"A coupla cops say a girl hung herself in the house."

Sam's brow furrowed. "Suicide?"

"Yeah," the guy confirmed sadly. "She was a straight A student with a full ride to UT too. It just don't make sense." He walked away, and Sam looked at Dean.

"What do you think?"

Dean looked back at him. "I'm thinking we missed something. We'll have to wait and come back tonight though, once things have calmed down a bit."

"Alright," Sam sighed. "I guess we'd better take care of Olivia too."

Dean gave a short laugh. "Yeah. Man, that girl can't hold her alcohol at all, can she?" Sam let out a breath of laughter.

"That's for sure." Then his face darkened. "That guy knew exactly what he was doing too. He was totally gonna take advantage of her."

"Hey, come on, man," Dean raised his eyebrows. "He had no idea that one drink would get her drunk. He was just doing what guys do at bars, Heck, I do it all the time! As far as he could tell, she was pretty much sober and seemed into him!"

Sam shook his head with a frown. "He knew. No one gets to do that to her. You know she's still...ya know."

"Yeah, I do know, but he didn't! Look man, I'm just as protective of her as you are, but let's not go jumping to conclusions here. If she had tried to push him off and he hadn't listened to her, then that would be a different story! But that's not what happened." Sam ran a hand through his hair, unable to come up with a retort. Suddenly, Dean's eyebrows shot up, and a smirk grew on his face. "Wait...don't tell me. You're jealous! Aren't you?"

Sam rolled his eyes at his brother. "No, Dean, I'm not jealous. Why would I be?"

Dean cackled happily. "Because, I think, deep down, you've got feelings for our little Livvy!"

"Dean! I do not! She's like our little sister!" Sam turned around and walked back to the car, ignoring the little voice in his head that questioned who he was trying to convince.

* * *

**A/N: Hey! I updated! Woohoo! I'm so sorry that it's taken so long. Honestly, the past few months have been some of the hardest ones of my entire life, and I just didn't really have the time or energy to be writing. Anyway, things are looking better now, so I should be updating fairly frequently. Please review and let me know what you think and if there is anything specific you would like to see in the story! Also, bonus points to anyone who knows the correlation between Scotch and Coke and a guy named Paul! ;)**


	8. Chapter 8

Olivia unlocked the door to the motel room and stepped sheepishly inside. She had woken up with a massive hangover a few hours earlier and was completely embarrassed with how she had acted the night before. Sam and Dean were very understanding; Dean even thought it was hilarious! But she vowed to avoid alcohol at all costs from then on.

As she walked into the room, Sam looked up from his laptop and smiled at her. "Hey Liv! Where have you been?" Olivia laughed a bit awkwardly and held up the box she was holding.

"I still felt badly about what happened last night...so I got you guys donuts. I know it's not much, but..."

Dean was at her side in an instant. "I'm in love with you," he informed her excitedly. She laughed and opened the box.

"They're custard-filled. I hope that's okay..."

Dean grabbed one and immediately began eating around the outside of the donut. Sam rolled his eyes at his brother, but he also stood up and grabbed a donut for himself. Dean had eaten almost all of the bread on his, leaving just a big glob of filling which he popped in his mouth right as Sam took a huge bite.

Olivia watched them expectantly, a smirk growing on her face as their facial expressions slowly changed from ones of delight to ones of complete and utter disgust. They both took on look at her face and ran to the garbage can, spatting everything out frantically. Olivia howled with laughter and, as they slowly turned back around to look at her, held up a half-empty bottle of mayonnaise.

"That's one for me, boys," she winked then dusted off her hands and walked into the bathroom, the boys staring indignantly at her back the whole way.

* * *

That night the three hunters crept back up to the Hell House. Crouching in the bushes, they saw a police car parked outside and two officers standing by the door

"They don't want anyone else messing around in there," Olivia whispered.

Dean shook his head. "Yeah, but we've still got to get in!" Suddenly, he perked up and stood slightly taller, peering out of their hiding place with a groan. "I don't believe it.

Sam and Olivia mimicked his actions and saw Ed and Harry sneaking toward the house, whispering to each other and carrying all sorts of ridiculous looking gadgets. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," Sam muttered.

"I've got an idea," Dean grinned. He stood up and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Who ya gonna call!"

Ed and Harry whirled around in confusion, and the cops looked toward the sound and noticed them.

"Hey! You!" The cops tore down the path after the two wannabe hunters who shrieked and ran away, effectively leaving the house unguarded for Olivia and the Winchesters to hurry in, stifling their giggles.

They quickly made their way to the basement, shining their flashlights and looking around. Dean held up a jar of disgusting looking liquid and glanced at Sam.

"Hey. I dare you to take a swig of this."

Sam stared at him incredulously. "Why in the world would I do that?"

Dean shrugged and looked back the jar before looking up again with a grin. "I double-dare you." Sam just rolled his eyes and shook his head. Suddenly, a sound came from the inside of a cabinet. The three of them looked at each other and nodded, quietly moving toward the cupboard. Sam looked back at his companions for confirmation before throwing the door open.

All of them let their guns drop to their sides as several rats ran out and around their feet. "Argh! I hate rats!" Dean complained. Sam raised his eyebrows.

"You'd rather it was a ghost?"

"Yes," Dean responded without hesitation. Olivia shook her head fondly but then gasped as a figure suddenly appeared behind Sam's head.

"Sam!" She yelled, raising her gun and pointing it at the apparition. Sam's eyes widened, and he ducked as she shot three times. The ghost didn't budge, and it's axe continued to swing toward Sam. Dean shot it once more, and it finally disappeared.

Olivia swore loudly, causing the boys to look at her in surprise. "What kind of spirit is immune to rock salt?" She questioned in frustration. Dean shook his head and grabbed her arm, pulling her along with him.

"I don't know, but come on!" They all dashed for the stairs, but just before they made it, Mordechai's axe appeared once again, smashing down and narrowly missing Dean. Olivia shrieked and dove at the spirit, dodging its blows and firing at it.

"Go on!" She yelled at the brothers. "Get out of here!" Sam leapt forward and grabbed her waist, yanking her out of the way as the axe came down and smashed an electrical box. The three of them tore up the stairs and out the door, crashing through the emergency tape and tumbling down the steps. Sam landed hard on top of Olivia, who grunted, but he quickly stood, helped her up, and they all continued running, nearly smashing into Ed and Harry.

"Get that out of my face!" Dean barked at them as they focused the camera on him.

"GO!" Sam shouted, shoving past them and dragging Olivia with him. "Get out of here!"

The hunters didn't even look back as they dashed toward the Impala and sped back to their motel.

* * *

"None of it makes sense!" Olivia was sitting behind a shirtless Sam on the bed, gently running her hands over his skin and healing the cuts and burns that resided there and trying hard not to enjoy it too much. She was getting a lot better and stronger at using her powers. "Never once have I encountered a spirit that didn't dissipate with the slightest bit of rock salt!"

Dean, who she had already taken care of, shook his head. "Yeah, and what is this symbol? It's buggin' the crap outta me!" He was sitting on the other bed, doodling the symbol he'd seen in the house. "This whole job is buggin' the crap outta me! I mean, I thought the legend says Mordechai only goes after chicks!"

"It does," Sam agreed, not looking up from his laptop and sighing in both relief and disappointment as Olivia finished her ministrations and moved away from him. Dean looked at him.

"All right. Well I mean that explains why he went after you two, but why me?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Hilarious. The legend also says he hung himself but did you see those slit wrists?"

"Yeah, I mean what's up with that?" Olivia chimed in. "And the axe too. I mean, ghosts are usually pretty strict, right? Following the same patterns over and over?"

"But this mook keeps changing." Dean agreed.

"Exactly," Sam nodded. "I'm telling you, the way the story goes...wait a minute."

"What?" Dean asked. Olivia moved to look over the younger Winchester's shoulder, reading off of his laptop as well.

"Someone added a new post to the Hell Hound site," Sam prefaced. "Listen to this. 'They say Mordechai Murdock was really a Satanist who chopped up his victims with an axe before slitting his own wrists. Now he's imprisoned in the house for eternity.'"

"What is going on here?" Olivia shook her head.

Dean suddenly sat up, staring at his drawing. "I have no idea, but I think I might have just figured out where this all started." Sam and Olivia looked at him. "Come on." He tossed Sam's shirt to him. "We're going back to that music store."

* * *

Ten minutes later, the hunters walked into the store to see Craig sitting at the counter, looking pretty down. Dean walked up to him.

"Hey Craig! Remember us?"

The teen looked up at him and sighed. "Guys, look I'm really not in the mood to answer any of your questions ok?"

"Hey, no problem," Dean shrugged. "We're just here to buy an album." He started flipping through the albums and pulled one out, looking at Sam and Olivia with raised eyebrows. "I couldn't figure out what that symbol was, and then I realized that it doesn't mean anything. It's the logo for the Blue Oyster Cult." The two of them stared at the album. Sure enough, the logo was the same symbol painted in the Hell House. Dean walked to the counter. "Tell me Craig, you, uh, you into BOC? Or just scaring the crap outta people? Now, why don't you tell us about that house? Without lying through your teeth this time."

Craig stared at them like a deer in the headlights. Then he sighed, shoulders slumping. "Alright...um...my cousin Dana was on break from TCU. Ah, I guess we were just bored, looking for something to do. So I showed her this abandoned dump I found. We thought it would be funny if we made it look like it was haunted. So we painted symbols on the walls, some from some albums, some from some of Dana's theology textbooks. Then we found out this guy Murdock used to live there so we...we made up some story to go along with that. So they told people, who told other people. And then these two guys put it on their stupid website. Everything just took on a life of its own. I mean I, I thought it was funny at first but...now that girl's dead! It was just a joke, you know? I mean, none of it was real, we made the whole thing up. I swear!"

Sam nodded and spoke softly. "Alright." He and his two companions turned and walked out the door.

Dean was frowning deeply. "If none of it was real how the hell do you explain Mordechai?"

Olivia shook her head, just as bewildered as he was. "No idea. I do know that I am going for a jog when we get back. I need to clear my head."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Olivia walked back into the motel room, wiping sweat from her brow. Dean was sitting casually on the bed, flipping through a magazine, and Sam stepped out of the bathroom, hair dripping and a towel wrapped around his waist. Olivia tried hard not to stare but couldn't help the blush that crept up her cheeks.

"So, I think I might have a theory about what's going on," the younger Winchester announced. Dean looked up from his magazine, and Olivia took a swig from her waterbottle. Both of them watched him expectantly. He continued. "What if Mordechai is a Tulpa? You know, a Tibetan thought form."

Dean nodded. "Yeah, we know what a Tulpa is. That makes sense! Hey, Liv why don't you jump in the shower and both of you get dressed? I wanna grab something to eat."

Both of them nodded, and 30 minutes later, they were sitting around a table at a restaurant, looking at the menus. Olivia grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. Her, ahem, chest...was itching something awful, and she couldn't, for the life of her, figure out why.

"You two okay?" Dean asked with raised eyebrows. Olivia looked over to see that Sam seemed to be having a similar problem, as he kept wincing and adjusting his jeans.

"Yeah," they answered in unison. "Fine."

Dean continued to stare at them for a moment. "Alright. So, keep going, Sammy. What about these Tulpas?"

Sam cleared his throat. "Ok, so there was this incident in Tibet in 1915. Group of monks visualized a golem in their head. The meditated on it so hard they brought the thing to life. Out of thin air."

Olivia mostly tuned out of the rest of their conversation, seeing exactly where Sam was going with it and recognizing that it was the most likely scenario at this point. Instead of listening, she continued to attempt to discreetly adjust herself to stop that horrific itching. She was brought back to the conversation as Dean stood up.

"I got an idea. Come on."

"Where are we going?" Sam questioned.

"We've got to find a copy store."

Olivia took a deep breath as she and Sam both stood up, each continuing to shift and adjust uncomfortably. Sam frowned and looked at Dean.

"Man, I think I'm allergic to our soap or something."

Olivia perked up. "Hey! Me too! I can't stop itching!"

Dean started laughing and walking away, and realization dawned on both of the other hunter's faces.

"You did this?!" Sam's voice was extremely accusatory. Dean just continued to laugh. "You're a friggin' jerk!" Olivia glared at Dean and nodded in agreement. The older Winchester looked over his shoulder with a smirk.

"Oh yeah!"

* * *

Olivia insisted that they go back to the motel so that she and Sam could take another shower and get the itching powder off of themselves. Dean reluctantly agreed and explained his plan on the way back.

"So, I figure if we make some sort of document saying that Mordechai Murdock's actual cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound, then we can convince the hellhounds guys to publish it on their website along with the idea that, not only is Mordechai deathly afraid of them to this day, but a shot from a .45 pistol will kill him."

Sam and Olivia both nodded, impressed. "Then, with enough people channeling that idea," Sam worked out. "It will become a reality."

"Exactly," Dean said proudly. "So, Olivia, why don't you come with me to make the copies while Sammy takes a shower, and then we'll come back, and Sam and I will go to their trailer and give 'em the exciting news while you shower."

The other two hunters quickly agreed, so they dropped Sam off, and Olivia jumped in the passenger seat. Dean pulled out of the parking lot and gave her a side-long look.

"How ya doin', Short-Stuff?"

Olivia rolled her eyes but had long since learned that it was pointless to protest the nickname. "I'm just dandy. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm great!" He glanced at her. "But how are you really? With everything?"

She smiled fondly at him. "I really am doing well for the most part. I've learned how to be okay over the years, and you and Sam are making it easier as well."

Dean sighed. "You don't have to be okay, you know. It's okay to not be sometimes. And Sam and I aren't going to judge you if you need to let things out."

"Honestly," Olivia laughed. "I have cried and let more things out since meeting up with you guys than I have in probably 5 or 6 years."

"But there's still a lot more that you're holding back," Dean pointed out. Olivia didn't say anything, and he sighed again. "Listen, Liv, we're worried about you. Not because we think you can't handle things on your own, because we know that you can. But because we are your friends, and we care about you. We want to make things easier for you in any way that we can. And, I mean, with you waking up with nightmares every time you sleep and going through phases where you hardly eat anything...it's pretty obvious that you could use some support. With whatever it is you're still struggling with."

Olivia gazed at him evenly, touched by the sincerity of his words. "Thank you, Dean. That means a lot to me. Tell you what. As soon as it gets any worse, I'll spill everything. Deal?"

He hesitated but then nodded slowly. "Alright, I can live with that."

* * *

Several hours later, Olivia and the Winchesters crept back into the Hell House, firearms loaded and ready to fire. Sam and Dean had convinced Ed and Harry to publish the story, and it had been long enough that it should have taken effect. They cautiously looked around the house, shining their flashlights into the corners and glancing around on high alert.

"So, you think Old Mordechai's home?" Dean murmured.

"I dunno," Sam responded.

"Me either," a voice came from behind them. The three of them spun around, guns raised.

"WHOA! WHOA!" Ed and Harry shouted, putting their hands up. Sam, Dean, and Olivia groaned and lowered their weapons.

"What are you trying to do, get yourselves killed?" Sam hissed.

Ed rolled his eyes. "We're just trying to get a book and movie deal, ok?"

Olivia was about to respond with a rather snarky remark when they heard the sound of knives being sharpened in the basement. She and the Winchesters immediately raised their guns again and crept toward the door, Ed and Harry following closely behind.

"Uh...guys...you wanna...you wanna open that door for us?" Ed's voice cracked nervously.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Why don't you?"

The door suddenly flew open, and Mordechai appeared, screaming and axe at the ready. Olivia and the Winchesters immediately began firing at the spirit, who wavered for a second before disappearing completely. The hunters hesitated for only a second before they split up and took off to search the rest of the house.

Olivia dashed into what looked like an old bedroom and looked around before throwing open the closet, gun at the ready. Empty. Lowering her weapon, she turned around to move on to the next room when Mordechai suddenly appeared in front of her, knocking the gun out of her hand before she could react. Her stomach dropped, and she ducked to the side in an attempt to get around him, but his axe came smashing down in front of her, causing her to scream loudly and jump back, feeling her ankle pop. She collapsed as pain shot through her foot and leg, and the Tulpa grinned down at her menacingly and advanced toward her slowly. Olivia scrambled backward, but he soon had her backed into a corner. She raised her hands over her head and squeezed her eyes tightly shut as he raised his axe high...

"Hey!" Gunshots rang out, and the apparition quickly vanished to reveal Sam and Dean in the doorway, looking furious. They both shot toward Olivia, who was shaking violently.

"Are you okay?" Dean asked, frantically searching her for any signs of injury.

Olivia nodded. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm okay. Thank you. I thought I was a goner." Sam reached a hand down, and she took it, allowing him to pull her up only for her ankle give out so she collapsed against his chest. He caught her and looked at Dean, who was breathing heavily.

"Their server went down, which means the story didn't take, and there's still no way to kill Old Man Murdock. We've gotta get her out of here."

Olivia shook her head and stood back up, putting all of her weight on her uninjured leg. "I'll be fine. We've got to get rid of this thing. Any ideas?"

They suddenly heard smashing coming from outside of the room, and Ed and Harry started screaming. Dean pulled a lighter out of his pocket.

"I've got one. Sam, can you carry Olivia? Good. Let's go." Sam almost effortlessly lifted Olivia into his arms and followed Dean as he dashed out of the room, grabbing Ed and Harry and shoving them outside. They took off running, and Sam and Dean followed, Dean dropping his lighter into a puddle of kerosene on the way out. They came to a halt several yards from the house and turned around to see it quickly catching flame.

Dean took a deep breath. "Mordechai can't leave the house, we can't kill him, we improvise."

Sam shifted Olivia in his arms and gaped at his brother. "That's your solution? Burn the whole place to the ground?"

"Well nobody will go in anymore. I mean look, Mordechai can't haunt a house if there's no house to haunt," Dean shrugged. "It's fast and dirty but it works."

"Well what if the legend changes again and Mordechai is allowed to leave the house?"

Dean shrugged again. "Well, then I guess we'll just have to come back."

They watched the house burn for a few more minutes before turning and slowly walking back to the Impala, exhausted and ready to sleep.

* * *

Sam and Dean both jerked awake at the sound of Olivia screaming loudly. They instantly leapt to her side, Dean shaking her violently as she thrashed around, trying to get her to wake up. She continued to scream and cry and throw punches, clothes and hair damp with sweat. Then, her eyes flew open, and she sat bolt upright, looking around wildly and gasping for air. She looked at the two brothers, who were watching her in concern, and threw the blankets off of herself.

"I have to leave," she choked. "I can't stay here. I have to go." She stood up, only be pulled back down by Dean.

"Whoa whoa whoa there, sister! Not so fast!"

Olivia shoved away from him and rolled to the end of the bed. She made to get up again, but Sam reached out and grabbed her, holding her tightly against his chest.

"Liv, stop it," he commanded calmly. "You just had a nightmare. Nothing is wrong. You're safe here."

"But you aren't!" Olivia shrieked, struggling as hard as she could against his hold. "Let me go! Sam!" But he only held her tighter, exchanging a wide-eyed look with Dean while she continued to fight him.

"Liv, calm down. Everything is fine. We're all here, and we're all safe. Now, just settle down and tell us what's wrong, okay?" Dean reached out and grabbed her face gently but firmly in both hands, forcing her to look at him. "Olivia Walters!"

At that, Olivia stopped fighting. Her lip began to quiver, and she slumped back against Sam, who loosened his hold on her only slightly. Dean let go of her, and she slowly turned and hid her face in Sam's shirt, trembling violently and clinging to him desperately. The two brothers breathed a sigh of relief and waited patiently for her to gather her wits about her again. After a few moments, she mumbled something incoherent into Sam's chest. He gently shifted her and leaned against the wall so that she was curled up against him but her face was showing.

"What was that?" Dean asked quietly. Olivia took a shuddering breath and picked absently at a string at the bottom of Sam's shirt, refusing to meet either of their eyes.

"Deangelo. My real name is Olivia Deangelo." The Winchesters raised their eyebrows but didn't say anything, simply waited for her to continue. "I told you before that I had always been gifted, but I didn't exactly tell you how much so...the truth is that...well...it was unnatural. By the time I was eight, I fluently spoke four different languages, had played, sung, and danced at Carnegie Hall, was a black belt in both Kung Fu and Jiu Jitsu, was being looked at by colleges and the Olympic recruiters for my gymnastics skills, and the list goes on. I don't know why. I can't explain it. Things just sort of come naturally to me. But I assume it has something to do with the same thing that allows me to heal people. Anyway, the government...took a special interest in me. I was sort of whisked away from my family a few days after my eighth birthday and taken to this special training school. My whole life was focused on becoming some secret weapon for the government. I didn't have any free time or friends or anything like that." She laughed bitterly. "'The government's little prodigy.' That's what the other kids used to call me. No one liked me much. Not that I cared. I didn't have time to care. All of my time and energy was spent becoming some sort of ninja warrior chick that they could one day send on special missions to do whatever it was they felt I was needed for. I was allowed to go home and visit my family twice a year and call once a month.

"Anyway, this was my life for about eight years. I already told you what happened when I found out about my weird power thing. A couple of years after that, I was home visiting. I had gone for a walk..." Olivia trailed off, biting her lip as a lump rose in her throat. Dean took her hands in his, and Sam rubbed her back with one hand and ran the other through her hair. She swallowed hard. "I wasn't gone for more than an hour! But I walked in, and everything was quiet, which was strange. My family was always pretty rowdy. I went upstairs, and..." a choked sob escaped her throat, and Sam pulled her closer. "And...th-there was my family. There was blood everywhere...my parents, my baby brother...they were all dead." She paused, struggling to gain control of her emotions. "M-my little sister, Kitty, she was still breathing and conscious, but just barely. I...I tried to save her, but...I wasn't...I wasn't strong enough...she died...in my arms. When I looked up...there was this woman standing there. Her eyes...they were pure white...she...she laughed and then attacked me. She stabbed me in the side and then set the house on fire and left. I...I crawled out before the house burned down. I'd learned a lot about medicine while I was training, so I tended to the knife wound myself." She sat up and lifted up her shirt, revealing an ugly scar on her side. Sam lightly ran his fingers over it while Dean just stared, jaw clenched. Olivia took a deep breath. "Apparently the fire burned for so long that there were hardly any remains left, even bodies. As far as the government is aware, Olivia Deangelo died in a house fire almost six years ago. I took up hunting, and that's what I've been doing ever since."

Sam and Dean were silent for several minutes, just taking it all in. Dean moved so that he, too, was hugging Olivia tightly, and both brothers just sat quietly as she shuddered and cried. Finally, Dean planted a kiss on the top of her head and pulled back to look at her.

"Thank you for telling us, Liv," he murmured softly. "I'm sure that wasn't easy."

Sam nodded in agreement and pulled her up slightly so that she could bury her face in his neck. "You're amazing," he told her sincerely. "And not just because you're some prodigy. You're strong and kind and brave, and we love and admire you more than you'll ever know. And don't think for one second that we aren't here for you. We're going to help you to move on, and we're going to help you find whatever it is that did this. I promise you that. We'll figure all of this out together."

Olivia nodded but didn't say anything; she didn't have to. The three friends sat in silence until they all slowly drifted off to sleep, holding each other tightly and finding solace the other's presence.

* * *

**A/N: Hey, we finally know about Olivia's past! Of course, there are still a lot of questions to be answered, but those will be revealed in due time. :) I hope you enjoyed! Please review and let me know what you think and if there is anything you would like to see from our characters in the future! Love y'all!**


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